A Girl and Her Dog, er, Servant
by Repre-sama
Summary: Evangeline has a new servant. And boy, is she a handful. She's a thorn in Eva's side but the vamp doesn't get rid of her. Is there a deep reason behind this or does she just enjoy having someone else willing to do her bidding?
1. Chapter 1: Enter Sinc

**Disclaimer: I do not own Negima. Mr. Akamatsu does.**

**A/N:** My first fanfic, so go easy on me. I tried to keep everyone in character as best I could. Also, some crack may be sprinkled in here due to my OC.

* * *

**Chapter One: Enter Sinc**

The jingling sound of a chain followed the man relentlessly. He didn't know what was behind him, but he sure as hell didn't want to know. He sped through the dark streets. Lights were rare in this area, the sliver of moon providing no help. The sound drew nearer, the creature it was attached to unknown. The man fell as a body tackled him heavily from a diagonal point. He skid across the floor a few inches before coming to a halt. The assailant pinned him down roughly, sending hints that this was a human. Perhaps. Out of desperation, the man flailed his one free arm in an attempt to fight back. It was caught expertly in the assailant's hand, chain hanging from their neck making a soft clinking sound as they shook their head.

"Shame on you. No manners at all. It's rude to strike a lady."

Okay. So it was apparent the person was a female. Rather young, by the sound of her voice. The man, totally confused, was about to start asking questions. But he couldn't bring himself to speak at the moment due to the pressure on his neck. Oxygen was halted from reaching his lungs as the girl pressed harder on his air passages. He tried to push her off somehow, but she remained fixated in her position, slowly suffocating him. It was too dark to see her face clearly, but he was sure she gave him an apologetic smile.

"I promise you won't suffer for long. But be a good boy and pass out already. It'll be better for both of us."

The man seemed to obey. His body went limp as he lost consciousness. The girl assailant had a small backpack on, which she now removed to use its contents. A bottle and a large syringe. The bottle was empty. For now. After examining the man's neck for a moment, she took out small yet sharp scissors. Time to get to work.

Double-checking that the man was out cold first, she cut the fabric from around his neck with trained precision. Her goal was in sight. The large vein in the neck -the jugular vein- that was pulsing rapidly. Humming a light tune to herself, she took the thin-needled syringe and slid the point ever-so-carefully into the destination. Once the needle found its mark, she slowly drew the crimson blood out of it.

After obtaining a satisfying amount - about a liter - of blood, she removed the needle and tended to the small prick in his skin. She stopped the liquid from spilling out with a special medicine, allowing the wound to close up again. Within seconds, it looked as though she had never touched him. The same couldn't be said for his shirt collar.

"This should be efficient enough to hold over my master. Thank you very much, sir," she said, clapping her hands together once.

She hoisted the man up with relative ease to carry him to a bench. She knew there was one nearby. It was a public place after all. When she found it, she set the man there to make it seem as though he fell asleep there. The girl toyed with the hanging chain for a moment as she looked around. It being late at night, she was glad there were no interruptions. Though she might get scolded for running off. Again. Even though her master told her not to.

She shrugged it off and went back to where she had hidden her bag. If she had brought it with her and someone happened to come by and saw a liter bottle filled with blood strapped to the side pocket of the bag, all hell would break loose. And she didn't want to have to kill anyone. Shifting the bag on her shoulders, she heaved a sigh.

"Better get this back to her before the blood gets cold."

And with that, she made her way back home.

* * *

**The Next Day**

_"Late night attacks continue to be reported. We strongly advise all within this area to refrain from wandering outside after 9pm, especially if you are alone. No word yet on the criminal's identity, but we have been informed that it is a girl, possibly around the age of 15 or 16 years. If you have any information, please contact us at..."_

Evangeline groaned, resting her head on the table. "Dammit. Not very good at hiding details like that, is she?" the vampire said to Chachamaru, who sat next to her, both watching the morning news.

"Go easy on her, Mistress. She does it for you," Chachamaru said, siding with the girl in question.

"I did go easy on her. Why do you think she's still alive? And the blood she got did hit the spot."

Chachamaru seemed to sigh lightly. "You don't give her enough credit, Mistress. She could be killed if she were to be caught."

The short vampire laughed at her statement. "Now who's not giving enough credit? It'll take more than what mere humans can dish out to kill that one. And I don't think a few years in the slammer would do any good. If they could keep her in there, that is."

The robot smiled. "You have a point. Forgive me."

Now in a somewhat lighter mood, Evangeline called for her new servant. "Oi, Sinclaire! C'mere!"

Almost immediately, the girl responded to the call. She was in a kneeling position by Evangeline's side instantly.

The girl, who went by the name Sinclaire Youngblood, was not exactly average. She was rather pretty, with long, shiny, dark blue hair that was constantly held up in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were a nice teal color that changed shades depending on the time of day and shone with childish mischief and amusement. Her height was exactly the midpoint between Evangeline's and Chachamaru's. She wore regular clothing for the most part: comfortable jeans, black and grey sneakers, and shirts with sayings and/or pictures on them. She shunned wearing skirts and hated bland and boring solid color clothes. She had a single gold loop earring in her left ear. But the most unusual piece of her attire was the collar around her neck. Tough, black leather that fit snugly around her neck, a cross from a rosary dangling from the metal D-ring along with the chain from the previous night. She flashed a little grin to Evangeline, revealing the sharp tooth on the top right side of her mouth.

"Yes, Master?" she said somewhat cheekily.

Unimpressed with her attitude, Evangeline grabbed the chain and tugged her downward, causing Sinclaire to fall on her face.

"Impudent dog, I've told you numerous times to address me with respect."

Sinclaire sat up, rubbing her nose, still smiling. "Apologies. So what's up?"

Knowing that this was just how she was, Evangeline went on. "Well, you were mentioned on the news again. Don't you know you're supposed to be more careful with these missions of yours?"

"What's the big deal? I haven't seriously harmed anyone, let alone killed anyone. I just don't see what everyone's freaking out over," the girl said, obviously not caring about this subject.

"I don't think scolding her again will do much, Mistress," Chachamaru provided helpfully.

"Or physical abuse. Both always seem to fail. You have problems, Sinc," Evangeline grumbled, massaging her temples, agitated. Taking this as a hint that the topic was over with, Sinclaire stood up.

"Master, shouldn't we be getting ready to head out?"

The vampire looked up at her. "Huh? What for?"

"You know. School. Don't tell me you forgot?"

Evangeline groaned. "Ugh, right. Can't I skip today?"

Chachamaru shook her head. "There's a test today that you can't afford not doing. And you have to stay awake this time."

"Shut up. Fine, let's go before I change my mind."

Sinclaire and Chachamaru went to go change into their uniforms. Sinclaire paused at the doorway and turned her head to see Evangeline. The blonde noticed and asked in an annoyed tone, "What now?"

"Who should I bring with me today?"

'Always this stupid question,' Evangeline thought. "I don't care."

"Mmmmm, I think I'll bring Oriphy again. He likes to get out of the house every once in a while."

When Evangeline was alone, already semiconsciously dressed in her school uniform, she sat against the table, waiting. 'Jeez...why is she so concerned about which of her freakin' stuffed animals to bring to school everyday? They're just toys.

**

* * *

**

A While Later

It was really early still. Evangeline had to wonder why the other two wanted to leave so soon. She would without a doubt fall asleep in class today. She glanced back at her two followers. It always surprised her how Sinclaire could behave like she had a little respect for her, considering her rowdy personality. She always addressed her as 'Master' and stayed with her even though she constantly used Sinclaire as a punching bag to relieve stress. Of course, in Evangeline's mind, the bad outweighed the good. Sinclaire was defiant, immature, pervy at times, and an all-around pain in the butt. Yet, even though she thought this way, she could never quite bring herself to get rid of her. Besides, she was another servant. And God forbid Evangeline do housework herself.

"Mistress," Chachamaru said, breaking the vampire from her thought process. "Look. It's Asuna-san."

Asuna was doing her newspaper routes. Yes. They were awake _that_ early. Evangeline smirked. How convenient. She was just getting bored. She snapped her fingers. "Sinclaire."

Sinclaire stood at attention. "Yes, Master?"

She pointed. "See that girl over there?"

"Uh huh."

"Put on a show for me, Sinc. I trust you know what I mean?"

"Yes, Master. On it!"

Sinclaire skipped over in Asuna's direction. Chachamaru voiced her doubts.

"Do you know what you just did?"

"Yes. I don't even know what she'll do. I just know it'll be interesting."

Sinclaire had never met Asuna before. They were in different classes and never seemed to cross paths in the three months she had been attending Mahora. Asuna spotted the girl as she paused a few feet away. Sinclaire's mind raced, a wheel of fortune-type of thing spinning in her head, thinking of how to amuse her master. Then it clicked.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, making Asuna take a step back.

"Eh, what?"

Sinclaire dropped down on all fours and made as if to pounce. "Throw one."

Asuna raised an eyebrow at the strange girl. "I beg your pardon?"

"A roll of newspaper. Throw one. Hard as you can!" Sinclaire said, readying herself. "I'm serious."

Though thoroughly confused, Asuna took a newspaper from her bag and drew her arm back to throw it. "Ready?"

By now, Sinclaire was hopping around in anticipation. "Yeah yeah, just chuck it already!"

With Asuna's strength, the roll flew high and far. Asuna watched in astonishment as Sinclaire went after it, jumping high and catching it in her mouth. She did a somersault in the air before her feet hit the floor. She took the paper out of her mouth, did a fist-pump, and said, "And she sticks the landing! Good throw. You got a great arm."

A major WTF moment had just occurred in Asuna's life, and she didn't know whether to laugh her ass off or be totally perplexed. Emerging from seemingly out of nowhere, Evangeline and Chachamaru came by, the vampire holding her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

"Bwahahahahaha! Whoa, man, that was good! I wasn't expecting that. Bravo, Sinclaire. And your input just added to it, Kagurazaka. Brilliant! Hahahahahaha!"

Even Chachamaru had to smile at the unpredictable girl. Sinclaire threw the newspaper to the nearest house and took her former position of standing a few steps behind Evangeline.

"Interesting, uhh, friend you got there," Asuna said warily.

"No no, not friend. Slave," the vamp corrected with a grin. "Isn't that right, Sinc?"

The girl saluted in a goofy fashion. "Whatever you say, Master." She glanced at the sky, taking in the position of the sun. "Oh damn, I gotta get going!"

Sinclaire was about to take off when Evangeline grabbed the back of her shirt. The taller girl looked back at her.

"Hm? Need something?"

"What's the big rush?"

"Haru-chan is waiting for me. Her and Kazu-chan wanted me over there early for a meeting."

Evangeline grimaced. Sinclaire took this as a dismissal and loosed her shirt from her grasp and started jogging away towards the school. The vampire made a low growling sound as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"What's wrong, Mistress?" Chachamaru asked, though she already knew.

"That little- she made me leave this early for _that_?"

Asuna shrugged. She had a couple minutes to spare today and decided to chat. "So I take it she does this often? And who are Haru-chan and Kazu-chan?"

"Pfff. Who else? Those pervy former classmates of yours, Kazumi and Haruna. Now I'm trapped in the same class with all three of them."

"Sooooo...what meeting exactly?"

Chachamaru answered this question. "They call it S.O.P."

"What's that? Does it stand for something?"

"Yeah, Sisterhood of Perverts. They made it their own club. Sinclaire rallied them together and is the instigator for most of their antics."

Asuna did a half-smile, trying not to laugh. 'That girl is certainly a character. Hopefully that Vermin Ermine hasn't met her yet. Oh shoot, gotta get delivering already.'

"Uh, well, it was nice talkin' to ya, Eva-chan, but I gotta work now. See ya later!"

Evangeline and Chachamaru were alone now. The two slowly headed to the school.

"Today will be like the others, Mistress. If I know Sinclaire-san, she won't let you be bored."

"I'd kick her to the curb if she did. But even then, she does all the housework when you're gone, so I guess I'll have to keep her."

**END**

* * *

Repre: Holy cow! I finally got this going! Sorry if that seemed a little rushed. It seemed a lot longer while I was typing it up. You all can think of Sinclaire as my little creation. I based most of her personality off of myself, just more out of control.

Sinclaire: *comes over holding Oriphy* Hey, Repre-neechan. Whatcha doin'?

Repre: 'Sup, Sinc. Just finished the first chapter of my fic. A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Oh, and for the readers, in case you were wondering, "Oriphy" is a stuffed wolf that Sinc keeps with her. She has two more stuffed animals, but I'll bring them up later. (whispers) She thinks they talk.

Sinclaire: Yup! Sam the dragon and-

*smack*

Repre: Hush, Sinclaire. Now they know!

Sinclaire: Owie. Sorry. By the way, shouldn't you tell them the next chapter's preview or something?

Repre: Oh yes. Thank you. Can't tell you details, as this was written pretty quickly, but I promise to put more humor and introduce the S.O.P. Club. Which means pervyness. Yay! I also apologize for any possible mistakes and/or OOC if there was any. Although, this is my fanfic, so I can put Eva in a dinosaur costume and have her giving random people hugs if I wanted to.

Evangeline: Do that, and you won't live long enough to finish this fic.

Repre: Oh shoot, how long have you been there?

*explosions in the background*

Sinclaire: Since it seems my creator and my master are having a little spat, I'll do the farewell for Repre-sama. She wanted to mention that there will indeed be some sort of plot later. That much she assures. Constructive criticism would be appreciated to further help her work. See you around!

Repre: *crawls forward in pain* Oh, and opinions on my little Sinclaire are also wanted. Let it be known though, good or bad, I'm not removing her from the story. Believe it or not, she's a plot point, in a way. *passes out*

Sinclaire: Repre!


	2. Chapter 2: SOP Go!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Negima. Mr. Akamatsu does.**

**A/N: **A tad longer than last time. I tried to add some funny stuff in this, but it depends on your sense of humor. This is mostly a filler sort of thing, but I don't want to just throw the plot at you and be done with it. Again, may contain some crack due to my OC. Apologies in advance if it seems rushed. Details aren't my strong point.

* * *

**Chapter 2: S.O.P. Go!**

Sinclaire opened the door to her class quickly, feeling quite energetic. She wondered what her comrades had planned. Haruna and Kazumi were huddled over one of the desks, being the only other people in the room. Sinclaire made her presence known.

"Greetings. So what'd you need me for? Eva was giving me the death glare all morning for making her come early with me, so I really hope it's good," she said, knowing she'd find whatever they came up with fun for sure.

Haruna and Kazumi turned their heads to face their third member, mischievous grins plastered on their features. Haruna beckoned her over. Sinclaire shut the door and hurried over to the table. There were a few sheets of paper with "super cool" mission names on the top, some scribbled over in frustration to their flaws. After taking a moment to look them over, Sinclaire spoke.

"I take it you're planning something big. I mean, you don't usually make this many."

The two chuckled. Kazumi pat the pile of scattered papers. "You're quick. You see, we've actually been planning _this_ particular one for ages, but alas, failure seems to be fond of us. So we came up with a nice...side project...to get our morale back up. And with you, it should be really easy."

Sinclaire nodded sagely. "Mmkay. I get that part. But further info is needed."

Haruna pushed her glasses up on her nose, which usually meant she was plotting. "Let me explain, my dear Sinclaire. As you and I both know, you don't know a majority of our friend circle. With you, suspicion will not be an issue in close proximity."

Kazumi continued. "So we thought we'd introduce you to our buds in a very interesting way. We'd also make some coin in the process if we all do our jobs right. You play a very important role in all this."

Sinclaire felt the first twinges of impatience. She hated the suspense. "Then tell me what to do! Come on, you guys are killing me."

Kazumi and Haruna spoke in unison. "A skirt-flipping party for you! How perfect would that be?"

Her eyes lit up. Finally, a club assignment. She was getting into the idea now. "Hoho! I like where this is going."

Haruna nodded, throwing her arm around Sinclaire's neck in a loose head-lock. "You being the fastest out of us, you'll be doing the honor of flipping the skirts of our dear friends. While you do that, Asakura and I will be taking snapshots and recording the memory of your first meeting with everyone. You'll have a blast with this."

"I like it, I like it. So about the money-making deal..."

She went quiet when she heard the door open. The three turned to see Evangeline, paused in the doorway. Her eyes went straight to Sinclaire, the smallest hint of murderous intent behind them. She was obviously still a little sleepy. The way she sort of swayed a bit as she went to her desk made it clear. Evangeline sat down and immediately rested her head on her arms folded over the table. Sinclaire scratched her head a moment.

"Uh...Master?"

"Don't. Talk. To me. I'm going to try and get some sleep before class starts, so keep your traps shut. Wake me up when it's time for the test," she said, her voice sounding muffled against the desk. Sinclaire heard her clearly enough though.

"Sure thing."

Evangeline shifted slightly before her small body could be seen rising and falling steadily with her breathing as she slept. The S.O.P. members were motionless for a while before Sinclaire motioned to them.

"C'mere," she whispered. "You have to see this. Kazu-chan, bring your camera. No flash."

Haruna and Kazumi followed her quietly, not knowing what she was planning. They became somewhat tense as they got closer to Evangeline.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Kazumi asked in low volume.

"No. But come over here, both of you," Sinclaire said, looking at the vampire. The three of them were soon crouching together. Seconds ticked by slowly before Haruna had to question the act.

"What're we doing?"

Sinclaire held up a finger. "Wait for it..."

Evangeline grumbled and moved again, the other two watching as instructed. She stopped moving and Sinclaire pointed. "There. See?"

Evangeline's sleeping face was so peaceful. She didn't seem like the same girl who had walked in moments ago. Kazumi had to take a picture to commemorate. Casting a side glance at Sinclaire, she noticed the genuine fondness on her face as she gazed at the sleeping Evangeline. Haruna noticed it too, making a mental note of it. Kazumi stood, admiring the picture she had just taken.

"Alright. We'll have to discuss things later. Let's go walk around a bit before the bell rings," she said quietly. Her two companions followed after her, shutting the door silently. And then bumped into Chachamaru. Haruna greeted her.

"Hey there! Oops. Raised my voice a little there. 'Sup."

Chachamaru nodded in acknowledgement. "Good morning, Haruna-san. Is our Mistress in there, Sinclaire-san?"

"Yeah. She's sleeping, so we thought that we should leave her alone for now."

The robot sighed in relief. "Good. I thought she would have ditched."

"Nah. She wouldn't want to be dragged back. But where were you the whole time?"

Chachamaru held up two boxes. "Making lunch for you and the Mistress."

Sinclaire perked up. "Food? Excuse valid! I look forward to it as always, Chachamaru!"

Haruna and Kazumi shushed her at the same time. She smiled awkwardly. "My bad."

* * *

**Later**

The bell signalled that it was time to have your ass in class right now. Sinclaire and Chachamaru took their seats, Chachamaru next to Evangeline and Sinclaire sitting one seat behind her. The teacher (not Negi) came in. He glanced over the students, holding the stare at Evangeline's sleeping form. Chachamaru gave him a signal to leave her be and he just went to the front of the class to begin lessons and review. After about fifteen minutes, he began handing out tests.

"Now, I hope you all did some studying. This is one of the bigger tests, so do well." He gave a test to Sinclaire, looking at her seriously. "Especially you, Miss Youngblood."

"Yessir. I will try my damn hardest," she smiled, accepting the test.

Chachamaru shook Evangeline awake, the stubborn vamp grumbling in protest. She eventually woke up enough to do the test, if a little moodily.

When the last test was turned in, the lunch bell rang. Everyone stood and left in a huge mass to get the better lunches from the cafeteria. Sinclaire was about to leave when her teacher called her over.

"Miss Youngblood. A moment of your time, if you please."

She went over to his desk, waiting as he looked over her test. He finally set it down, heaving a sigh. "How? I've seen your notes. They're neatly written and contain every bit of information I've given during my lectures. So how do you have really low test scores?"

The girl shrugged. "The notes aren't for me."

The teacher was taken aback. "What? Do you write them for your friends?"

A nod and grin were his response. "Everything I do is for Evangeline. Y'know, unless I'm doing it for myself. Like eating when I want. Which should be..." she trailed off, looking at her imaginary watch. "Ah, right about now. Don't want Chachamaru's bento to go to waste. I do so hate wasting perfectly good nourishment."

This made the teacher feel defeated. He ran his hand through his hair stressfully. He then waved a hand in dismissal. "Alright. Just go eat lunch. But really, Miss Youngblood, you can do so much better."

Sinclaire left the classroom, standing outside the door, head hanging slightly. She did a half-smile. "I'm not worried about a failing grade. Thanks anyway, Sensei."

* * *

**On The School Roof**

Evangeline was nibbling on a riceball absentmindedly. Chachamaru poured her more tea. Sinclaire burst through the door and did a baseball slide to the two.

"Whoooooooaaaaaaa-oooooowwwwwwaaaaahhhh!" she exclaimed as she crashed into the small raise of building, sending a painful shockwave of recoil through her leg and to the rest of her. She rolled over slowly, biting her lip. She rubbed her leg to ease the painful tingling. She gave a forced giggle. "Hehe, not one of my better ideas."

"Are you alright, Sinclaire-san?" Chachamaru asked as she poured the girl a cup of tea.

"Mmmmph," she groaned in pain. "Yeah. It just feels tingly. So what d'ya got for me, Chachamaru?" she asked, taking a sip of the tea. She licked her lips in satisfaction. "Mmm. Tasty. Everytime. You never disappoint."

Chachamaru smiled lightly. "Please, Sinclaire-san. You don't need to praise me so much. It's not hard to please you when it comes to food or drink." She handed over the bento to the girl.

"All the more reason for my compliments. Now what have we here?" she said, opening her box up, eyes gleaming at the sight. "Ooohhhh, you put those awesome octopus thingies in here! Sides of steamed zucchini and squash, plenty of rice." She sniffed it closely. "And pork is hidden in here somewhere. I wager you put them under the rice again?" Without wasting more time, she dug into the meal. For the first time that lunch period, Evangeline spoke. She threw a piece of seaweed at her rowdier servant.

"Hey, you forgot something."

Sinclaire stopped shoving food in her mouth for a second before realizing. She clapped her hands together once and said, "Itadakimasu," and then proceeded to shovel more food and tea down her throat. Evangeline took another riceball and began eating again.

"That'll have to do."

* * *

**After Lunch**

Class was now in session again. Lunch was relatively peaceful until Sinclaire stole food from Evangeline and the two had a little fight. Needless to say, Sinclaire would face further punishment once school was over.

Sinclaire pat her stomach with content. "Ah, man, I love food."

Her teacher looked up from his desk. "Please, Miss Youngblood, no interruptions. At least give the rest of the class the courtesy of being able to learn in a quieter environment."

Having a decent level of respect for others, she kept her mouth shut. She thought about what her 'sisters' had told her before class started. Their friends were holding some party to celebrate God-knows-what yet again after school and that it would be the perfect time to strike. But to do this, she had to somehow get on better terms with her master. And quick.

Haruna and Kazumi were giving her the message that everything would work out from their seats. Sinclaire sure hoped they were right.

As the minutes ticked by at a snail's pace, Sinclaire played with the hanging rosary on her collar. She kept shifting her eyes to look at the clock, her leg twitching in anxiety.

She jumped when the dismissal bell rang, literally jump-starting her into action. She saw Evangeline and Chachamaru waiting for her at the door. Sinclaire tried to think. Click!

"Uhh, Master?" she said, failing to speak with any authority. She cleared her throat to try again. "Ehhh, Master. I need to stay after."

Evangeline responded quickly. "Test retake?"

Sinclaire nodded. "Yep. Again. Sorry."

"Very well. Your punishment shall be postponed until then. Come on, Chachamaru," the short blond turned around, the robot following her.

'Eva seemed pretty agreeable. She's probably gonna use this time to worsen the consequences. Crap...' Sinclaire thought. 'Better use this time effectively. I might not be coming to school tomorrow if my assumptions are correct.'

She slid out of her seat, escaping the classroom before the teacher caught her. Haruna flagged her down from where she was waiting.

"Hurry up. The fun's about to start!" she squealed in excitement. "You all loosened up and ready to go?"

Sinclaire stretched her leg muscles before straightening back up. "Screw the complicated parts of the plan. Just lead me to the objective!" she smirked. Haruna was satisfied.

"Excellent. Kazumi is already in position. We just need to do our part."

Haruna briefed her on the mission as they made their way to the party. The farther they went, the more Sinclaire's adrenaline was pumping. She could hardly contain herself.

* * *

**At The Party**

Sinclaire and Haruna were just outside the place where the party was being held: the gymnasium. Plenty of room in there. Perfect for the task at hand. Haruna pulled out a walkie-talkie from her uniform. She pressed the button on it and spoke into it.

"Paru-sama to Paparazzi. Do you read? Over."

A sound of static, then Kazumi's voice came from it. "Paparazzi reads you. I'm in position. You and Fleetfoot ready? Over."

"When you are. Just give us the signal. Over," Sinclaire said into the receiver. There was a long pause. Both of them were beginning to feel anxious when the sound of static sounded again.

"Now, now, now! S.O.P.! Go!"

Sinclaire shot off like an arrow from a bow. She burst through the doors, Haruna running in after her, also armed with a camera, cheering. "Yeah! Go, Fleetfoot! Make Paru-sama proud!"

Sinclaire made a beeline straight for her first victim, Kazumi following closely with her camera ready. The first move was right in the middle of a group of unsuspecting girls. With all her skill, Sinclaire did a breakdancing motion, spinning rapidly and making a small whirlwind go around her, sending skirts upward. The chorus of "Kyaaa!~" was lost upon her. She was having too much fun. Flashes from Kazumi's and Haruna's cameras lit up the scene. Sinclaire couldn't help but comment during the madness.

"Ooohh, nice. Lacey, striped, and plain white. All good tastes in undergarments you ladies have. But you with the lace, how bold of you."

Nodoka blushed with embarrassment at her having seen her panties.

Sinclaire did a flip to her next targets. This time, one by one, she hopped from girl to girl, flipping skirts with gusto. She even added saying, "Nice to meet you."

Ayaka, Kaede, Hakase, Yue, Mana, Zazie...no one was safe from the offender. Even Sayo's skirt was flipped. She had to wonder how Sinclaire could do that to a ghost. Konoka's skirt was flipped extra high, and Setsuna's followed right after. A small frown fell upon Sinclaire's features as she saw under Setsuna's skirt.

"Aww, you're no fun. Wearing shorts underneath is cheating. The nerve of some people."

She froze as she heard a somewhat familiar voice. "What the hell are you doing?"

Asuna came out of nowhere, smacking Sinclaire over the head with her harisen. Sinclaire saw stars explode in her vision for a second. She stumbled, tripping over the leg of a chair, slamming her head hard on the edge of a table with an audible THUNK!, and losing consciousness. In a panic at the sudden fall of their comrade, Kazumi and Haruna put away their cameras and ran over to her.

"Ahh! Sinclaire!"

Haruna made an attempt to pick her up, shouting.

"Abort mission! Abort mission! Fall back!"

Her and Kazumi hefted the dead weight girl and made a break for the door, only to be blocked by Mana and Setsuna. Oh shi-

"Hold it. We can't let you three off so easily," Mana said, loading her gun. Setsuna looked equally pissed.

"How dare you do that to Ojou-sama! Prepare for retaliation," she growled, readying her sword.

"Who is this girl anyway?" Mana questioned, nudging the inanimate girl with her gun. Asuna looked down at her with displeasure.

"Evangeline's 'slave', as far as I know. I forgot her name. I met her this morning. She's a strange one. Made me play fetch with her," she mumbled.

'The hell?' was the standard reaction they got from this small tale.

"I haven't seen her before either, but she _is_ associated with Asakura-san and Paru," Nodoka pointed out. Murmurs of agreement arose in the soon-to-be angry mob. Konoka spoke up.

"Um, I don't really think it would be fair to hurt the new girl. She's already unconscious," she said, ever the lenient one. Setsuna sighed.

"Ojou-sama, you're too forgiving. She exposed your...erm...," she blushed, having caught a glimpse as well.

"Who cares? Here's what I think. What's wrong with that? Seriously, we're all girls here. And we bathe together, for goodness sakes. So what does it matter if we see each other's underwear? I think you're all overreacting," Konoka scolded. Haruna and Kazumi bowed down in front of her.

"You are so merciful, oh benevolent one! Thank you for standing up for us," Haruna cried.

"Our actions are justified. Fleetfoo-I mean, Sinclaire just wanted to make her introduction a creative one, so we thought we'd help her out."

Asuna and the others thought this over, tapping their chins pensively. They huddled together, murmuring to each other the fate of the Sisterhood. A conclusion was met.

"Fine. We could forgive this offense. But you have to pay a price, one way or the other," Mana stated in a business-like manner. Kazumi gulped, fearing the worst.

"And what would that be?" she asked nervously. Setsuna held out her hand.

"Hand over the cameras."

The two gasped. "But, we worked so hard on this. You can't just-"

Setsuna's blade point was right in front of their faces. "It's either this or that. Your choice."

Hesitantly, the S.O.P. girls relinquished their cameras.

"See?" Konoka said cheerily. "There was no need for bloodshed."

Haruna let out a sniffle. "Can we go now? While we still have our dignity?"

"Nah, pretty sure you lost that too," Yue said bluntly.

"Yeah. Get lost, you hooligans," Asuna said, ushering them out. The door slammed and the Sisterhood of Perverts members were outside. The conscious pair glanced at their fallen soldier. They put one hand each on her shoulder.

"You were a hero in our eyes, brave Sinclaire. But alas, your sacrifice was for naught."

Kazumi made a dry chuckle. "So much for making money off of this. They'd pay a lot for shots like that. Or to get the photos back before being used as blackmail."

"Oh, the bittersweetness of ulterior motives," Haruna lamented.

They hefted Sinclaire's weight between them to carry her back to Evangeline's cabin.

"Don't drop her. And carry her better! I'm holding all the weight here!" Haruna yelled at Kazumi.

"You're holding most of the weight? Surely you jest."

The dumb argument carried on through some of the trip.

Back at the school, an uninvited guest had hidden himself under one of the tables. He raised an eyebrow with interest.

"Hmmm. I should think about introducing Aniki to this one. She has a unique aura about her. But first I'll make myself known. I think we'll get along just fine."

The ermine scurried out of a nearby window to avoid being seen, intent on getting to know more about Sinclaire.

**END**

* * *

Repre: Woot! Second chapter! *shakes maracas* And what's this about a 'unique aura'?

Sinclaire: You should know. You're the author.

Repre: Don't you know the element of cliffhangers?

Sinclaire: Sorry.

Repre: Anyway, now that I'm recovered from Eva's attack last time, I can do the preview and farewell.

Sinclaire: Do carry on.

Repre: No promises, but I'm planning on getting more into Sinclaire's background a bit next chapter. Look forward to it.

Sinclaire: She would also like to apologize for any mistakes or anything that might have been OOC, as she was half-asleep while writing this. If there was any, please inform her. She tends to be a bit delusional.

Repre: It's true. I have to type this all in the late night hours for various reasons. Unfortunately, I have to wake up early, so...*stops talking*

Sinclaire: I don't think they want to hear about your personal life, Repre-neesama.

Repre: You thought so, too? I knew it wasn't just me. Anyway, see ya around!


	3. Chapter 3: A Walk Down Memory Lane

**Disclaimer: I do not own Negima. Mr. Akamatsu does.**

**A/N: **Reviews! Do want. Otherwise, how am I supposed to know if I'm doing well? Special thanks to Kenji455 for being my first (and only) reviewer! A little late, I know, but grateful I am. I felt inspired all day to write more, albeit the second chapter being somewhat rushed near the end. I was getting sleepy. I had lots more time to work on this one.

Also, humor is not the focus like last time. It's more serious business. Live with it.

* * *

**Chapter 3: A Walk Down Memory Lane**

_It was weird...this feeling. I saw myself walking around, but it was as if I wasn't part of it. But it was definitely me. It's hard to mistake yourself. I was in that odd state of mind where you knew this was a dream, yet you went with it anyway. I walked, the surrounding area just foggy-looking emptiness, with me heading nowhere. Then the scenery went white and the place was now a somewhat barren land with a few homes dotting the dusty landscape with mountains in the background . Oh, so it was _this_ dream again._

_My body strolled through it, looking at nothing. I always had to ponder why this felt so routine to me. As always, she stopped at the same two houses. The first was a nicely kept home. It had the look and feel of a manor. It made you think of the medieval era by its structure. There were a few windows on the sides. Stained glass on the left, regular windows on the right. I always thought that looked funny. It could be identified as a two story house, but were they really called that in this time period? I didn't know. Made of what seemed like sturdy stone blocks, it was built elegantly. Unfortunately, it was abandoned long ago. I could see a faraway look in my eyes as they gazed upon the house. It made me feel a little lonely at how sad I could look. One would never guess by my usual act._

_Then there was the second house..._

_This house...was no longer a house. It was a mound of ashes on the ground now. I felt a wave of discomfort and melancholy wash over me. This place was never nice to be around, but my body still continued to come here. I hated it. I wanted to leave. This ash was here for a reason. I got headaches when I tried to think of why. I don't think I wanted to know. But the dream was just getting started. My eyes caught sight of a small, lone figure. A young girl, no older than five. She stood by the still-burning ashes, her face showing no emotion. My dream body shook her shoulder lightly. The small girl looked up at me with dead eyes. They were clouded over in a bluey-grey denseness. I looked away, as I always did. Then my dream body vanished like smoke, leaving the girl alone in this depressing land._

_She held onto a raggedy doll shaped like a dog. At least, that's what it looked like. I was watching her for a time, my presence unknown. She didn't move at all, save for her lips. She was mumbling something, though too quietly for me to hear. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two silhouettes coming towards the girl. I hear muffled shouting from them as the girl shrinks away, apologizing again and again. Then the silhouettes started hitting the defenseless child. The small girl just covered her head and curled up into a ball, taking the hits. My dream body returned, appearing a short distance away, weeping as the girl was abused relentlessly. I felt myself getting angry. Why were those figures hurting her? Why didn't the girl run or fight back? Why wasn't I able to help her?_

_I could only watch as the torment continued. My blood pumped faster, muscles flexing themselves. I was losing my temper fast, a growl rising to my throat. I wanted so much to help the poor girl. Fury was the main thought running through my head, the urge to protect this child growing greater. Everything was starting to look red, my eyes turning bloodshot. I made a move to attack the silhouettes. My strike went completely through them, not even touching them. Out of uncontrollable rage, I thrashed uselessly at the ghost-like figures, my arms going right through. It was like hitting smoke. Nothing was working. I couldn't take it anymore._

"Stop it!" Sinclaire yelled, thrashing in the bed. She sat bolt upright, her chest heaving. Her breathing was heavy, sweat beading down her face. She looked around with shifty eyes, her eyes adjusting quickly to the dark. As she woke up more, she became aware of the throbbing pain in her skull. The sudden movement caused it to feel like hammers were striking her head. She clenched her teeth and laid back down.

As the pain subsided, Sinclaire gingerly ran her fingers over the large bump on her head. She didn't remember what had happened. She took into account her current position. It wasn't her bedroom. She remembered this room. It was a hidden room in Evangeline's home that was underneath the rest of the building. Before Sinclaire's arrival, Evangeline had no purpose for the room. Now, it served as a sort of cell for the girl. She only put the servant in there twice before for good reason, so Sinclaire didn't mind. All she wanted was time to think right now. What the heck was that dream about? The whole thing seemed to make her mind buzz, yet no recollection of its events came to her. Where were they from? It seemed familiar enough. Her memory had always been lacking, but this was absurd. She had had these nightmares for years and couldn't make anything out of them. It was irritating.

Her muscles continued to spasm. So the feeling had not passed after all. Now that she was fully awake, she was becoming restless. She rolled out of bed, doing a few stretches to loosen herself and allowing her pained head to relax itself to the shift of her body. She made a stance and took a deep breath, holding it for ten seconds, then releasing. Then she commenced with finding exercises to do. Sinclaire always did this when she found herself in these situations. She did some squats, reaching one hundred before moving on to the next part of training. She did regular push-ups, effortlessly doing over one hundred and fifty. The energy in her blood was still overpowering. She then lifted her whole body, her hands on the floor keeping her upside down, balancing herself carefully, falling over a few times. She did push-ups like that, grunting in strain. It was always a point of hers to vent her adrenaline with training on such nights. Sleep was forgotten as she trained into the night, waiting for Evangeline or Chachamaru to let her out.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

Evangeline was eating leftover tofu from the previous night for breakfast, watching TV. Chachamaru gave her a side glance.

"Mistress, shouldn't you let Sinclaire-san out now? Night is over. She's probably waiting."

Evangeline gave a small _humph_ sound. "Next you'll be telling me to feed her too. That food thief gets no breakfast today. She'll have to wait until lunchtime."

Chachamaru began to look worried. "But Mistress, you remember what happened last time you did that, don't you? Keeping food from a glutton like her will only make things worse for everyone in the end."

The vampire frowned. She knew damn well what that crazy girl was capable of when hungry. She truthfully would want to avoid that. She waved a hand lazily at Chachamaru. "Ugh, go ahead if you're so worried about the little nuisance. As long as she doesn't make me go to school. I don't feel like going today."

The robot bowed politely before heading to the lower levels of the cabin.

Evangeline sat back in her seat. Sinclaire was so much trouble. Always was.

* * *

"Sweet holy jeebus of socks, if it wouldn't be awkward, I would kiss you, Chachamaru! You're always lookin' out for me," Sinclaire exclaimed, eyes riveted on the meal that was brought to her. Chachamaru hid her blush at the comment.

"Ahem, well, I figured you would be hungry. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

"I'm grateful. I've been having cravings again." She lifted the raw steak from the plate with her hand, immediately tearing ravenously into it, the robot noting the girl's slit pupils. She used her sharp tooth -which looked a bit longer than it usually did- to rip it apart. Chachamaru flicked her on the forehead to reprimand her action.

"Please refrain from acting like an animal, Sinclaire-san. It's most unbecoming."

The crimson liquid dripped down her chin. "Sorry. You know how I get with meat," she said, wiping the blood off her mouth with the back of her hand.

Chachamaru waited for her to finish her feasting before leading her out. Sinclaire didn't know the way to go yet, having only been here two times before. She and Chachamaru entered the living room eventually, where Evangeline was slumped lazily on the couch.

"Mornin', Master."

Evangeline looked in her direction. "Clean yourself up. You got blood all over your clothes and face. And you're all sweaty. Take a bath."

"As you command. But first I gotta ask. What happened yesterday?"

Evangeline laughed humorlessly. "What happened? First of all, you lied to me about retaking your test. But I saw that coming a mile away. Then you went on a raid, flipping everyone's skirts, Asuna hit you pretty hard in the head, you tripped and got knocked out by a table. At least, that's what Haruna and Asakura told me."

"They came by?"

"Duh. They carried your ass all the way here. Apparently you're really heavy."

"Are they okay?"

"What do you mean 'Are they okay'? Of course they are."

"I thought the angry mob would've gotten them."

Evangeline ditched that half of the current topic. "And because you were indisposed all night, I'm thirsty now. I _could _go on a hunt myself, but you seem to enjoy doing it for me."

Sinclaire smirked impudently, holding out her arm. "You can drink my blood if you want."

Evangeline grimaced slightly. "Yuck. You know I can't drink your blood. It's disgusting and rancid."

Sinclaire winked. "Well yeah. I just like messing with you."

Evangeline threw a pillow at her with deadly aim, nailing Sinclaire right in the face. "Stupid mongrel. You're getting too audacious as of late. We'll work on that. Now go get cleaned up. School's gonna start soon, Chachamaru, get going. You need to take notes for the idiot."

Everyone went to do their own thing. When Chachamaru had left to school and Sinclaire to the bath, Evangeline got up and went to pick the pillow up. It has specks of blood smeared on it and she got a whiff. Unfortunately for her, she disliked the smell of animal blood. She turned her head away from the odor.

"Blech! I'll make Sinc wash this when she gets out, along with the rest of the laundry. It's piling up anyway." She dropped it and went back to the couch, watching TV again.

* * *

Chachamaru showed up at school by herself, taking her seat before the bell. Kazumi and Haruna -being there early again knowing that they were relatively forgiven for their actions the previous day- went over to her, noticing the absence of Evangeline and Sinclaire.

"Hey Chachamaru-san, where's the other two? Sinclaire's not in trouble with Eva-chan, is she?" Kazumi asked.

"She didn't kill her, did she?" Haruna exclaimed.

Chachamaru shook her head. "She was well enough to ask if you two were okay, which you seem to be. Mistress is just taking a day off."

The pair sighed with relief. "That's good. Oh!" Kazumi went back to her desk, taking something from her bag. She came back with a small envelope, handing it to Chachamaru. "Hey, could you give this to Sinc when you go back? It's only one photo, but it's one she wanted me to make a copy of."

The robot took it with a nod. "I will."

Haruna tapped her chin. "Soooo..."

Chachamaru looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Is she coming to school today?"

"No. Mistress wished to speak to her, actually. So I left them alone." She looked down at her desk. "I just hope she doesn't out of control again."

"What was that?" Kazumi said.

"Uh, nothing."

"Oh ho~what secret are you hiding, hmm?" a voice said from the doorway. Heads turned to see Chamo squeezing through the partially open door. He perched himself on Chachamaru's shoulder, giving her a playful accusing look. "Come on, spill it. We're all for no secrecy here, right ladies?"

Haruna and Kazumi joined in the pestering. "Yeah! You can tell Chamo-san, can't you?"

Chachamaru stayed quiet. After a minute or two of failed pressing, the three quieted down. She remembered that they all knew about everything else. What would be so wrong about telling them this? She glanced at them finally.

"Very well, then. But what I am about to tell you might change your opinion of her. Do you still wish to hear it?"

"Of course. Besides, friends don't keep secrets from friends. I'm sure we can take whatever you say and it won't surprise us," Haruna said confidently.

Chamo figured he might as well learn what he could here before meeting the new girl head-on. They listened to Chachamaru's information about Sinclaire.

* * *

**At Eva's House**

Sinclaire sat in the bath, cleaning her face and hands. She rinsed off and reached for the shampoo, halting when she recalled her weird dream. She slumped back down, her eye twitching in annoyance.

"Can't I just relax? Why do I keep thinking about it? Is it trying to tell me something?"

She turned her head to the side, where she had brought two things and placed near her as she bathed: her stuffed animal Oriphy and a music box. She lifted a hand and opened the box, the music box sending out a soothing tune. Sinclaire closed her eyes. She couldn't remember how long she's had the thing, but she knew she had it at least as long as her stuffed animals. They were the few things she had to her name. For some reason, the music never failed to calm her down. Her stress seemed to fade when she listened to the gentle melody.

Sinclaire eyed the stuffed wolf sitting a short distance away, just far enough to not face water damage. She gave half a smile.

"Oriphy, why? I'm having those dreams again. How come you never tell me why? Is it really that hard to tell me?"

Silence was her response, the music box being the only sound. Sinclaire growled lamely. "Does it have to do with what I am? Is that it? A monstrosity in the eyes of humanity. I told you before I can deal with people hating me. Just not...," her voice weakened. "Just not Evangeline. I know she pushes me around a lot, but I don't think it's out of hate. She would've been rid of me within the first week if she did hate me."

The toy sat there, saying nothing and Sinclaire was just fine with its wordless listening.

"She's my friend. That's all I knew all my life. I don't remember why. You and Sam refuse to tell me-"

Sinclaire stopped and stared at her stuffed animal with a shocked expression. This went on for about three minutes.

"Are you...? No...it makes sense. I can see why you did it. It was only to protect me, I guess. Hahaha," she giggled tiredly. "You guys are seriously...hahahahaha! Man, does it all make sense now. Well, not all of it. My memory is fuzzy, thanks to you and that dragon."

She laughed as she grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some onto her hand, lathering it up in her blue hair.

"Who would have guessed really? Back then..."

She washed her hair, the wolf stuffed animal sitting motionless and silent as it always had been.

* * *

**Back At Mahora**

"Wow. It's actually a little hard to wrap my head around," Kazumi admitted. Haruna nodded in agreement.

"I mean, Eva-chan as a vampire was pretty easy to believe, but this...," she said, scratching her head. Chachamaru sighed.

"Now you know."

"But," Haruna stated, smiling sincerely. "I still don't think any different about her. She's a good person at heart."

"Seconded! Who cares what she is? As long as one of the things she is is a friend, that's good enough for us," Kazumi added.

Chamo tapped a paw on the desk. "That's a bit intimidating for me. Is she really-"

The school bell rang, cutting Chamo off from his question. He inwardly cursed at the interruption. Chachamaru answered his unfinished question.

"Yes, she is. But if you don't want to risk becoming her prey, I highly suggest getting in her good graces. If she likes you, she won't harm you. It goes against her code."

The ermine swallowed nervously. "I really hope that works. I don't wanna be killed."

Kazumi reassured him before returning to her seat. "Don't worry your fuzzy little head. She's really friendly. However, with what Chachamaru-san just told us, today wouldn't be a good idea."

"I will let you know when she is stable again. You should go before class starts, Chamo-san."

"Uh, um, alright." He was a little shaky as he scurried out of the class. He started making his way back to Negi's class. _'Hoo boy. This new girl could eat me alive. Literally. I guess I'll wait till I get the okay. I sure hope those two were right about her being friendly.'_

**Eva's House**

Evangeline heard approaching footsteps. She saw Sinclaire enter the room from out of the corner of her eye. She was wearing casual clothes, her ever-present collar especially loose on her neck. The small vampire frowned.

"You know you're not supposed to walk around without that collar. Did you try to take it off?"

Sinclaire shook her head. "No. I just needed to wash my neck and the inside of the collar. Besides, this is a magic collar. Only my master can take it off."

"That's right. Now come here so I can tighten it."

It surprised Evangeline when Sinclaire just did what she said and stayed still as she fit the collar back on snugly. She checked to see if there was enough room for her to inhale without problems and pat her shoulder, indicating that she was done. Sinclaire just turned around to face her. Her plain expression bothered the vampire. Evangeline smacked her head lightly.

"Hey. What's wrong with you? Upset stomach from that carcass you ate earlier?"

Sinclaire stared at the floor. "No."

"Then what? You aren't being your usual annoying self. It's almost more annoying how you're acting right now."

"You see, while I was in the bath with Oriphy, a certain topic came up," Sinclaire began. "My dreams. Why did they keep plaguing me?" She had told the vampire all about her dreams before, finding temporary comfort in her just listening.

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember?"

"That girl in my dream...was me. Which leads me to believe that those silhouettes were my parents." She clutched her head with one hand, wincing in pain. "Ergh! The memories just flooded in. Now I have a terrible headache."

Evangeline switched off the television and sat on the couch again, motioning for her servant to sit on the floor in front of her. Sinclaire obeyed, still holding her head.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. Everything is clearing up now. I even remember the day I was changed."

"What about before that?"

"Nothing. It's still a little fuzzy." Sinclaire flinched as another wave of pain rolled through her brain. "Ooowww. Oh, there it is. Now I do. It's weird how one little phrase Oriphy said to me could bring back so much of my past, if not all of it."

The vampire made a face. "Your stuffed animal?"

Sinclaire whimpered as her brain overloaded. "Aaarrrrgggghhh...can we talk later? My head...is killing me..."

Evangeline had only just gotten off of the couch when the other girl passed out. The vampire grabbed her shirt collar from the back and dragged her to her room. She opened the door of Sinclaire's room, inside was her animals lined up neatly on her single work desk that was next to her bed. The bed was a big one since Sinclaire had a tendency to squirm a lot when she slept, due to her frequent nightmares. She kept falling off the couch in the first week of her arrival, when Evangeline had refused to give a "stray" a bed. Aside from the two big pieces of furniture, the three stuffed animals, and the single music box, there was nothing in the room. She had a closet with a few changes of clothes, but nothing of real value. Evangeline huffed and tossed the girl onto the bed with ease. The taller girl just layed there, still. She looked exhausted.

"Sheesh, Sinc. Do I always have to babysit you? You really haven't changed. You're just a lot more social."

Evangeline slipped out of the room. She pressed her back against the door, sighing. "I wonder if she'll tell me what happened to her after I left. When I saw her those three months ago, I know _I_ was surprised." She left her old friend to rest. Sinclaire would tell her when she awoke. Of this, the vampire was almost certain.

**END**

* * *

Repre: I'm sure you guys should know by now what Sinclaire really is.

Sinclaire: Am I _that_ obvious?

Repre: Yep. So anyway, lack of character use in Chapter 3, but I did intend for this to be revolving around Sinclaire's past/background. More will be revealed next time.

Sinclaire: So stick around for it. Ideas are still buzzing around her head, so look forward to more.

Repre: And please please please review. They make me happy. Constructive critism, comments, questions, I don't care. Just review.

Sinclaire: Teehee. She's soooo not desperate. *sarcasm*


	4. Chapter 4: Lament of the Past

**Disclaimer: I do not own Negima. I never will.**

**A/N: **This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I feel you guys have waited long enough. Also, I've noticed I haven't been underlining all of my chapter titles. I'll try to keep up with that. It's because I don't write the title until after I finish writing the chapter. And I might have tweaked a thing or two, but nothing should really stand out. So without further ado, I present to you Chapter 4.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Lament of the Past.**

Sinclaire awoke around early afternoon, feeling surprisingly well-rested. She let her eyes rove over her plain but comfortable room. She let out a mighty yawn before sitting up on her immense bed and rolled her shoulders to loosen them from the minor stiff feeling. That was the most sleep she had in quite a long time. Probably due to passing out twice in a short span of time. Either way, she felt great. Her headache was gone and her mind was much clearer than it had been. Her memories were back, both good and bad. Now that she had regained these, she wanted so much to share her past with someone. To speak to Evangeline about them.

The girl bounced off the bed energetically, making for the door. She practically sprinted to find Evangeline. The shorter girl was still in the living room, watching T.V.

"Eva! I feel much better! I want to tell you about-mmph!" she was cut off by another pillow to the face.

"What happened to calling me 'Master'?" Evangeline asked.

Sinclaire couldn't help but feel lighthearted at the moment. She laughed and tackle-hugged the vampire.

"I just feel so free! And besides, we're friends. You used to let me call you that. Hell, you even insisted."

Evangeline struggled in protest to the display of affection. "Knock it off, stupid!"

The taller girl gave her a wide smile, eyes wet with unshed tears. "I've missed you, Eva."

The vampire stopped her movement. Those words carried a lot of emotion in them. They would have been said anyway. There was no avoiding it. Evangeline pushed the other girl off.

"Alright alright. Don't start the waterworks or you'll be sent to your room for the rest of the day. Besides, don't you think you should tell your story to _all_ of your friends? Even Chachamaru doesn't know the whole story. Only you do. I know only a fraction of it."

Sinclaire perked up. "You're right. Okay, after school, I'll go round 'em up! Which is in how long?"

"Twenty minutes. You should start heading over there now if you want to catch anybody."

Sinclaire nodded and went for the door. She paused and looked to the vampire, fondness shining in her eyes. Evangeline noticed it, a bit awkward when it came to someone giving her that kind of look. She waved her away.

"Yes, I'll still be here when you get back. Just because your memories are back, that doesn't mean I'll disappear. Just get outta here already," she said tiredly. The other girl smiled and opened the door, exiting the house. Evangeline sort of wished she didn't regain her past knowledge, but deep down (really, _really_ deep down) was happy that Sinclaire recalled her past with her. She wouldn't tell her that directly, though.

* * *

With an added skip to her step, Sinclaire hummed her music box's tune. She felt light as a feather. Her mind was filled with stuff she wanted to share with her friends. She loved them dearly and hated keeping secrets from them. Now she could tell all with no regrets on her end. She was somewhat worried over whether or not they'd still want to see her face anymore when they found out, but as she remembered someone from her past once telling her: "Those who cannot accept you for who or what you are cannot be called friends." Apparently, she had been living by this code semiconsciously her whole life, even when her memories were sealed.

Mahora was in sight now, the strange girl quickening her pace to a near all-out dash. She wasn't nicknamed Fleetfoot for nothing. Since there was no one else in sight, she decided to take a shortcut. She jumped on a fence to her left, climbing over it and landing on the person's lawn. She knew this was trespassing, but what were laws to her? She continued this tactic on the way to the school, soon jumping right over the fences in mighty leaps with her strong legs. After going over ten or so, she finally made it to the street she was planning on reaching. She knew this was a straight path to Mahora, so why not utilize it?

Now she was on campus. She rubbed her hands together eagerly.

"Okay. Let's gather the flock~."

* * *

Evangeline glanced at the clock again. _'It's been almost two hours. Where the hell is she?'_

Just then, the door flew open. "I'm back! Brought the crew with me!"

The vampire dropped her jaw for a quick second before erupting. "Why'd you bring so many people? I thought it was only gonna be Haruna and Asakura, but the rest?"

Sinclaire had been followed by quite a few more. In addition to Chachamaru, Haruna and Kazumi, she had also brought Asuna, Setsuna, Konoka, Negi, Chamo, Yue, and Nodoka. Sinclaire waved dismissively to her questions.

"Look at it this way. The more people that show up now, the less I have to retell the story to people. So I figured, why not?"

"Okay. I can agree with that. But what the heck took you so long?"

"I took some time to get to know the gang. I like them all. And it was an honor to finally meet this 'boya' you always spoke so highly of. If he's worthy of such praise from you, he must be quite the wizard."

Negi scratched the back of his modestly. "Nah, Master's more powerful than me by a huge margin still."

Evangeline sighed as she led the group to her resort where they would hold the discussion of the girl's past. Sinclaire chatted animatedly with everyone as they walked.

"I must thank you again for showing my buddies mercy, Konoka-sama."

Konoka giggled. "Everyone was just a little upset. I didn't really do anything."

"Just accept her gratitude, Konoka. She sounds pretty serious," Asuna said, hands behind her head.

Kazumi chimed in. "Yeah, really, thanks a bunch. We woulda been mincemeat if you hadn't said anything. And by the way, you wouldn't be interested in joining our club, would you? We'd love to have you."

Setsuna objected. "No way. Ojou-sama, you shouldn't join. You'd get in so much trouble hanging out with these three."

"But from what I saw, it looks like fun. Besides, it'd give me time to get to know Sinc-chan."

"It would be an honor. Those who assist my friends are also friends. I am in your debt," Sinclaire bowed.

"Anywho," Yue said. "Why'd you invite Nodoka and me? It couldn't just be because we're friends with Haruna," she said to Sinclaire. Sinclaire turned to the shorter girl and snickered.

"Nope. Though that is one of the reasons. I invited your quiet friend for her artifact. If her book thingy really does read minds and shows pictures and everything, it'll make the storytelling experience more enjoyable, don't you agree? But the other reason I invited you is a bit different."

Yue looked up. "Uh, what reason is that?"

Sinclaire gave her a sudden hug, lifting her easily. "Cuz I just love cute, small girls like you and Eva. They're just so adorable~."

Yue, like Evangeline had earlier that same day, struggled in her hold. "Gyaaah, lemme down! Are you even straight? Put me down!"

Sinclaire gave a final hug before setting Yue back on the floor. She had a look of mock horror. "Yue-san, I am hurt. Are you really questioning my preferences of gender?"

Yue dusted off her skirt. "Yes, actually. So answer it."

Sinclaire held up a hand in cue for her to wait while they were teleported to the resort. Once inside, they headed down the long path to reach the inside. The other followers were now curious to know the answer to the aforementioned question as well.

When everyone was taking their seats and were finally getting comfortable, Sinclaire announced. "In answer to your inquiry, Yue-san, I have been accused of also being bi. I'm going to tell you right now that it shouldn't matter which I am. You don't choose your preferences; rather, they are sometimes already preferred by you in advance. In other cases, it could just be that a person of the same gender just happens to be everything you would want in a potential mate and you fall in love that way. There is no sure reason for falling in love with someone, making it a moot topic. But to summarize the answer, I am straight."

The group stared in quiet astonishment.

"Did she just give a lecture?" Asuna said, breaking the silence.

Ever the troublemaker, Evangeline prodded Setsuna's side. "You think that was more directed to you, Sakurazaki?"

Setsuna got all flustered. "Shut up!"

"That was a very deep mini speech she gave, wasn't it?" Konoka said.

"You guys, can we focus on the real reason we're here? Everyone shut up already," Evangeline said sternly. Everyone quieted down again. Sinclaire sat on the floor against a pillar, in the middle of the group's semicircle surrounding her. She shifted herself until she was satisfied that her butt wouldn't fall asleep if she sat too long before clearing her throat.

"Ahem. Alright. In all seriousness here, what I'm going to tell you isn't exactly a happy fairytale. Nodoka-san, your artifact, if you please."

"Oh," Nodoka jumped slightly. "Okay. Adeat!" In a brief flash of light, her book appeared in her hands, pages open and blank. "Sinclaire-san, I need to know your full name for this to work properly."

"Sinclaire Youngblood. That should do it, right?"

"Uh, yes. Try thinking about something so we can make sure."

Within seconds, the pages edited themselves, showing Sinclaire's most recent thought. It showed a drawn out version of the gathered friends sitting around from her point of view. The thought at the bottom read out as _'They're in for a helluva story today.'_ Nodoka nodded. "It works."

She propped it up against a small pile of other books so that everyone could see it. Sinclaire launched into her story then.

"I can't remember exactly when it was. About one or two hundred years ago. Yes, I'm far older than any of you, except Master. We're around the same age, as a matter of fact. Anyway, I'm pretty sure my life was terrible the whole time, but the furthest back I remember it being was when I was about three or four years old..."

* * *

**Sinclaire**

"_Worthless child! Get out of my sight, now!" she screamed, throwing her heavy pocket watch at me, not caring if it broke. I scrambled to get out of the room quickly, my tiny limbs carrying me as fast as they could. Father would be home soon. I would be scolded again for not washing his clothes. I couldn't tell my mother that I had done hers instead because they were already there. For one thing, I couldn't talk. No one had bothered to teach me. I could only make squeaking and short barking sounds. I never could understand why I did all the work for my parents. I was only four. I shouldn't have to. But I didn't know any better._

_I had no bedroom to go to. Our house was a small one. My parents were rich, but they felt no need to spend it on a new, better home; instead choosing to waste it on liquor and meaningless possessions to flaunt their wealth to people outside of the home. Of course, not a penny was spent on me. Not on clothes. Not on food. Nothing. I was to fend for myself. I had fished through my parents' old clothes and have been wearing one of my father's old work shirts. I have been wearing it for a year now. It was damaged, torn, and filthy beyond repair. If I wanted new clothes, I had to wait for either my mother or father to throw one of their old pieces away._

_I went to my sleeping area: a large hole in the wall caused by one of my father's drunken rages that was located in the back of the house. I had moved some dirt in there to help cushion the place. I curled up in it, sure my mother would leave me alone for now. I reached to the upper area of the wall, checking to make sure my collected bits of fabric were still in there. They were and I breathed in relief. I had been gathering materials to make something I've always heard of and always wanted: a friend. I found some comfort in feeling the rough fabric in my tiny hands. It was the one thing that kept my mind off the pain._

_The door opened in the living room. Father was home now. I heard my mother tell him of my failure in doing my job of washing his clothing. In terror, I heard his boot-clad footsteps draw nearer. They stopped right by me and his large hand grabbed my hair and pulled me out of my 'bed'. He dragged me to the washing bin and looked for his clothes, failing to see them. He pulled me upward onto my feet, shouting in my face, spittle flying into my face._

"_Why aren't my clothes clean and dry yet, runt? What good are you?" he screamed, throwing me to the side. I tried not to cry out in pain as my head slammed against the opposite wall of my sleeping quarters, cheap wood chips cutting into my forehead. This was how I lived my life._

* * *

_I sat outside, having been tossed out for the rest of the day. My parents didn't care if I went somewhere, but I had to be there when they called for me in the morning. The first and last time I didn't respond to their calls, I was beaten almost literally to a bloody pulp. At the age of three, no less. My parents were such monsters. But I couldn't process my brain to think about leaving. I knew nothing else._

_I didn't want to go into town. For one, it was four miles away and I didn't feel like walking there. Another reason was because the people there looked down on me. The school children mocked me for my attire and matted hair. I was also considered uneducated for my age. All of the other kids could talk, but I remained mute._

_Without realizing it, I had wandered in a completely different direction than I usually went. I looked behind me and saw my house in the distance. A tremor of fear coursed through me. My blood ran cold. I continued to traverse the empty land, giving the occasional glance at the orange-tinted sky. It was nearing dusk. I liked that time of day since it meant my parents would be going to sleep in a few hours. Those moments of peace kept me sane._

_At first, I thought I was imagining things. I could have sworn that when I looked to my immediate right I saw a house that wasn't mine. Child curiosity got the better of me and I had to go investigate._

_As I approached the house, I found myself becoming intrigued. How had I never known about this home? It was a lot closer than the town was. Hardly a mile, if that. The place was surrounded by a black, fancy fence, the gate to allow entry uninviting. The fence itself was enclosed in vines. I wager the people here were wealthy like my parents and weren't stingy enough to not show it. It was huge. I went around the perimeter of the fence, looking at everything I could._

_I heard noise from their backyard. Ever the wary one, I went belly down and crawled on my stomach to take a look. Not caring about a bit of dirt or scratches, I scurried into the bushes behind the yard, trying to catch a glimpse of the other side of the fence. My eyes widened at the sight. An adult, dressed in a butler's outfit, could be seen standing. I had seen books with them on the cover. Butlers looked different in real life, I guess. But the sight that really fascinated me was the other person. A young girl, about my age, sitting at a small round table, having tea served to her. She had beautiful blonde hair that shone in the evening sun. I could have cried at how much I envied it. She looked like a princess; almost exactly like the ones I had seen on some books. Her blue eyes flicked in my direction and I yelped and hid myself. Hopefully she had not spotted me. I would probably be sent back home in such a case. But from my hiding place, I saw the girl's face perfectly._

_She looked down at her teacup and smiled, closing her eyes and taking a sip. Little did I know that, from that moment, my life was about to do a full 180._

(to be continued)

**END**

* * *

Repre: This took longer than I thought. I'm not good with balancing so many characters. Props to Mr. Akamatsu for his l33t skillz. My apologies for the slow update. Too many distractions. You'll find out more next time. See you then. Please review. They make me motivated to write faster. For reals.


	5. Chapter 5: When The Day Met The Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Sinclaire.**

**A/N: **Sorry for the super long wait. I was busy with finishing up summer school the epic way and moving to another house for the umpteenth time. This long chapter should make up for it hopefully. Get ready for the history lesson that is Sinclaire's past. I suggest you make a sandwich and grab a drink or something. We're gonna be here awhile. If it seems to go by quickly, that's kinda how I intended it to be since I didn't want to bore you with the backstory of an OC, even if Eva is involved. Revelation at what Sinclaire is will finally be revealed in this chapter. And I promise this'll be the only chapter that's more or less completely centered around Sinclaire. Read and review, guys.

* * *

**Chapter 5: When The Day Met The Night**

_The blonde-haired girl slipped out of her seat suddenly and headed towards her house, the butler following hurriedly._

"_Milady, slow down please."_

_The yard became empty. The tea was abandoned on the table. The smell wafted into my nose. I licked my dry lips and my body scooted closer to the fence. I was small enough to squeeze through the gaps. Casting quick glances to see if anyone was nearby, I climbed onto the chair (which was big compared to my tiny form) and reached for the cup._

"_Boo!"_

_Startled, I toppled over, knocking the teacup over, spilling it on my back as I hit the floor. I mentally thanked the land for providing grass to cushion the fall. I groaned in minor pain and heard laughter. I looked up to see the blonde-haired girl standing there, highly amused. She crossed her arms and glanced down at me._

"_Hahaha! Scared you, huh? Scaredy cat!" Her childish voice rang in my ears. She laughed again, but this time she went over to me and knelt down next to me. She poked at my clothing curiously, her laughter subsided. "What is this? Are you wearing parchment paper?" When I didn't answer her, she huffed impatiently. "Can't you talk? Come on! Say something."_

_I really tried to speak, but a quiet bark was all she got out of my mouth. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you a dog or something? People don't make sounds like that." Her words continued to ring in my ears. I was nervous. I had never spoken to anyone before, let alone made any real human contact. The only other person who has spoken to me like this was my uncle, who I only saw once a year. Not often when you considered my current age. I shivered and looked down on the ground._

"_Hey, don't do that. It's rude to do that when people talk to you."_

_I obeyed, looking her in the eye again. She sighed and looked at the tea on the table and back at me._

"_Are you hungry? We were just about to have dinner."_

_I froze. In confusion, I shook my head rapidly. The blonde girl wouldn't have it. She grabbed my wrist._

"_Oh come on. You look like you haven't eaten in years. I'll let you stay over."_

_She dragged me toward the house, with me trying to dig my feet in the ground in an attempt to avoid going. I was too tired from lack of food to fight very long. I was soon just letting her pull me to the door._

* * *

"_Milady! How could you bring _that _into our home? Put it back outside!" one of the maids said in disgust. I was terrified of adults, choosing to stay away from them. I wanted to leave like they said, but the girl still held firmly onto my wrist. She made a move as if to kick dirt at the maid. The floor was spotless, so she kicked at nothing._

"_No! I'm gonna give her something to eat. And clean her up. You just do whatever it is your job is."_

_This girl was quite an intelligent-sounding speaker. She sounded older than her four and a half years. Probably due to being homeschooled by smart adults. The maid had a look of shock and backed away, letting the blonde-haired girl and me pass. She didn't fail to give me a dirty look though._

_She lead me into what looked like an empty room, save for a large tub. I could only guess at what was going to happen._

"_Let's go. Into the bath with you," she said as she started filling it with water. "You smell like dirt and blood. Get in here already."_

_Hesitantly, I did as she requested. I removed my clothes and climbed into the bath. Once I got in, the warm water felt refreshing. I couldn't help but relax, not caring as the girl started scrubbing my head to help wash me. It felt so nice. As she scrubbed my matted hair, she spoke to me, never once expecting a response from me._

"_How did your hair end up like this? Whoa, I thought it was brown, but look at this! Your hair is dark blue under all that dirt. Here, take this wash cloth and clean your face and arms. And after this, I'm getting rid of that gross clothing you were wearing. Don't worry. You can borrow something of mine. Then I'll see what I can get for you to eat. I can see your ribs, you're so skinny."_

_The sweet smell of the cleaning substance was pleasant. I wished then that I could speak, but alas, I could not. The bathwater had turned a murky brown color by the time my bath was done. The girl gave me a dry towel._

"_Here. Dry yourself off. By the way, my name is Evangeline. Not that it really means anything to tell _you_ when you can't talk, but I figured you should at least know my name. Nice to meet you. Do you have a name?"_

_I nodded. I wanted to tell her 'Yes, my name is Sinclaire Youngblood', but the curse of lacking vocal usage prevented this exchange. Oh! There was another way! A way I had taught myself. I made a writing motion with my hands. She seemed to understand._

"_You can write? Well, I can read. I guess we can talk that way."_

_After getting some hand-me-downs from Evangeline, a simple white tunic with old but clean black pants (think pirate pants), she took me to what she called her bedroom. It looked more like a small fancy mansion to me. A bunch of pink was what I remember most. Pink fabric for her bedding and some dresses here and there. Tons of expensive-looking trinkets that I was afraid to touch, a small round table in the middle of the room that looked much like the one outside, and a scattering of dolls. I cast nervous glances at her as she fished around in a large box. She took out some stationery and a quill. She sat me down at the table, dropping them in front of me._

_I picked up the quill kinda shakily. After all, I was still scared of this new, stunning environment. Evangeline, clearly being the more intelligent one of us, sat next to me and decided to start things off by asking simple questions. She tapped the top of the paper with a finger._

"_Okay, let's take this slow. What's your name?" she asked, resting her head on her other arm._

_I gulped and dipped the quill in the ink and scribbled down my name in the spot she indicated._

Sinclaire Youngblood

_Evangeline read it. She tilted her head in confusion, probably trying to pronounce it in her mind. She gave up after a while and said, "Ugh, that name is too long." Like hers wasn't? She smiled then. "Okay. How bout this? I'll call you Puppy, you just write Eva. Easier that way, right?"_

_She had a point. I found the nickname acceptable. I was glad I was being addressed at all. The feeling quickly changed to surprise when I heard a knock at the door. Evangeline stayed where she was, calling out in a rather lazy tone._

"_Come in."_

_The butler that had been with her outside came in with a tray with two covered platters on it, another following him with tea. He bowed respectfully to Evangeline. Of course, I was ignored._

"_We have brought the meal you asked for, Milady."_

"_Uh-huh, just set it down here. Me and the puppy will eat in here today. Also, no visitors. She's a scaredy cat and doesn't like too many people."_

_The butler bowed again. "I understand. Just call if you need anything else, Milady." With that, he and the other servant left the room. I was astounded. Evangeline most likely sat in the lap of luxury, while I was treated like dirt by my own parents. I didn't want to think about them right now. I'd have to return to that hell soon anyway. I grew distracted when my nose picked up the smell of the food and tea. Evangeline had removed the tops of them and revealed two plates full of amazing vittles. I had never seen so much real food in my short life: fresh bread, some sort of roasted bird, obviously soft potato chunks, and juicy steak. One of the plates were shoved in front of me along with a cup of herb tea._

"_Eat. Don't be shy. Have as much as you want."_

_Slowly, inwardly hoping this wasn't a trick and that she'd snatch it away before I got any, I picked up the piece of bread. It was still warm. I took a large bite and chewed. I paused, my eyes widened. It was the best thing I've ever had. I grabbed the steak, utensils forgotten as I ate with gusto. Every bite I took was heavenly. Evangeline watched in amusement as emotion danced across my features. I downed the tea quickly, savoring the brief flavor. I hardly noticed the tears streaming down my face. The taste was spectacular. I was so happy to finally have real nourishment. Evangeline began eating, though at a much slower pace and with far more elegance than myself._

_Finally, the food was gone. I had eaten my fill. I could even feel the energy replenish itself in my body. I put a hand on my stomach. I was glad to know I had one. Evangeline wiped her mouth with a napkin and poked me in the side._

"_You eat a lot, you know that?"_

_I couldn't help but smile gratefully at her. She returned the grin, but it was more playful._

"_Hey Puppy, you wanna play?"_

_I sat up at this inquiry. Play? With me? I cocked my head to the side in puzzlement._

"_Oi jeez, you mean you've never played before? Well, I haven't done it a lot either. I don't have anyone to play with here. There's just me and these dumb adults. But now that you're here, I have someone to play with." Again, she grabbed my wrist, snatching the stationery along with quill and ink, and dragged me outside._

* * *

_Since I had quietly observed children in town playing when I ran my errands, I vaguely knew how it worked. Evangeline probably had no clue, which was why our game consisted of her asking me questions to write answers to._

"_Where do you live?"_

Over there.

"_That doesn't mean anything. Next question. Why were your clothes all icky?"_

My mom and dad don't give me clothes.

_I guess she found this hard to believe. "What? Why not?"_

They don't like me.

_The next question threw me off. "Why?"_

_I had no idea how to answer this. Why did they hate me? How was I supposed to know? Why do kids hate veggies? Cuz they're icky? Was that the answer I was looking for? I didn't know._

Can you ask a different question, Eva?

_Moments passed slowly in silence. Evangeline grimaced for just a second then relaxed her expression. "Fine. How did you learn how to write?"_

_I had to think about this one for a while. I hurriedly scribbled my answer when Evangeline started lightly drumming the table rhythmically with impatience._

I read a few books in town.

"_So I guess you're a little smarter than some people think. Okay, now ask me questions."_

_Er, how did this work? Several questions went through my head, but all of them seemed stupid to ask. So I went with whatever._

How come you speak better than most kids?

_Evangeline thought about it, leaning back in her chair. "Uh, dunno. I'm always getting lessons on speaking properly. It's so annoying." This question seemed to irk her, so I changed the subject._

Do you like to look at the stars at night?

_She smirked at this. "Only when I can actually see them. It gets cloudy a lot, so I don't see them very often. Why? Do you?"_

_I nodded. I loved the night sky. Especially when there was a full moon. It was so pretty that when I saw it for the first time, I was awestruck. Of course, sunsets were nice too, but I digress. Oh shoot! Speaking of night, I had to get my butt home! I had forgotten._

"_Hey! Where are you going?" I heard Eva say as I hopped off my seat and made for the fence to squeeze out and go home. She grabbed the back of my shirt when I was halfway through. My brain, only recognizing this as a warning that I was about to be dragged back to be hit, caused me to curl up in instinctive terror. Evangeline watched me fall to a trembling heap and let go. She probably knew that her action had triggered it. She waited for me to calm down a bit before kneeling beside me and petting my head._

"_Did I scare you? You're such a chicken, Puppy." I think she was trying to sound serious but her amused tone gave her away._

_For some reason, the use of my nickname calmed my nerves. The soothing petting helped too. I slumped involuntarily. Evangeline stopped and just crouched there._

"_So you're going home now? You live 'over there', right?" she said pointing._

_I nodded and got up, turning to go. This time, she didn't stop me. I made my way back home, but I heard Eva shout after me._

"_Bye, Puppy! See you again!"_

_I felt a small smile tug at my lips. If my voice was found by now, I would've laughed._

* * *

_Much to my surprise, my parents were asleep earlier than usual today. Must've had a busy day. Even more surprising when they didn't notice my relatively new clothes and washed hair the next day. But then again, they never paid attention to me anyway._

_While doing my daily chores, I found that they were a bit easier. I had more energy to do them. Probably from when I ate at...uh...what was her name again? Well, when I ate at her house. I also discovered that my ribcages weren't showing as clearly as they used to. Food was an amazing thing._

"_Puppy! Haha, found you."_

_I jumped in shock to find the young blonde looking at me from the other side of the window. She just smiled at me in her unique way._

"_Looks like you were right about where you lived. But you're in trouble for making me walk all this way. You never said it was this far. Be happy the great Evangeline McDowell took the time to see you." Oh, I remember her name now._

_She paused. Evangeline must've noticed my distressed expression. I hurriedly finished up my task before bolting to the other room in panic. Moments later, my father snatched me by the collar of my shirt._

"_Hey, someone's at the door for you," he growled. I never got visitors aside from my uncle so Dad was confused. "She looks like a noble family's daughter so behave yourself, understand?" He thrust me towards the front door with less force than usual. I knew it wasn't out of kindness. He just couldn't be too rough with someone watching. There were still laws against child abuse, I'm sure. I went outside and, sure enough, there she was, waiting for me._

"_You're looking terrible, Puppy. You look better through a window. Hahaha!" I didn't get the joke's humor but I let it go. She opened the door slightly and looked over my shoulder at my mother. "Pardon me. May I borrow her for today? I've been in need of some help at my house that needs her size."_

"_Take it," my mother responded, waving me away. "The chores are done here. Do with it as you wish." Evangeline made a disgusted face but regained her composure quickly. She bowed politely._

"_Thank you. When would you like her back?"_

"_My husband and I were going on a trip for a few days actually, so you can keep it till we get back. The child does all sorts of work, so make use of it."_

_Evangeline bit her lip and spoke again, still polite. "And you're not taking your daughter with you?"_

_My mother scoffed. "Surely you are joking. And let nobility be around _that_? I think not. Please, take her. Of course, we'll need her to dust here every other day, so if you can get her to do that. You understand, right?"_

_By now, Eva was looking angry, her pretty face red in suppressed irritation. "I understand, madam. I will be leaving now. I'll keep your daughter in good condition."_

_Without a farewell from my parents, Evangeline closed the door a little too hard. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me along towards her house. When we were well out of earshot, she started going on a rant._

"_The nerve of those people! How could that be a good way to talk to you in any sense? I can't stand them already!"_

_I barked in inquiry. She halted and took hold of my shoulders roughly._

"_How can you live with them? They called you 'it', even though you're their daughter. They obviously don't care about your health. They handed you off to a complete stranger so they could go on a trip. What kind of parent...does that?" she sniffled, her arms dropping to her sides. I crouched down and began writing in the dirt. I tugged the hem of her dress when I was done._

Isn't that normal?

_That was what I had written. Suddenly, Evangeline hugged me. It was brief, but she was serious. "You poor thing. What kind of life have you been living?" She looked at me with teary eyes. My head tilted in confusion. Why was she crying?_

_She wiped her tears away and stood up straight. "Okay. From now on, I'll take care of you. Count on Evangeline to do what she says! Got it, Puppy?" I scarcely had time to nod before I was being led to her house again._

_From that day onward, everything seemed to happen so quickly._

_For two weeks, I spent my days living with the McDowell family. I was fed, clean, and clothed the whole time. Evangeline and I spent a lot of our time asking each other questions in our made up game. During the more relaxed days, she attempted to teach me to talk. She bonked me lightly on the head whenever a bark or squeak left my mouth instead of the intended word, followed with her saying "Again!" to get me to say it right. When I learned how to say a word, she gave me a treat. It felt good to actually be praised for my accomplishments, albeit them being minor._

_My parents said they'd be gone for a few days, but the truth was that they were gone for a month. When they finally returned, I had grown attached to Evangeline. I hid behind her as her parents and mine worked something out. Eva was reluctant to return me to that lifestyle as much as I was. We had become good friends. They finally agreed on a deal. I could stay. In exchange, they got a new butler and some people to renew the house. They were quick to give up their child for something they could've done themselves with much ease. I knew this would happen, but it still hurt._

_My uncle Jay (his full name was too long for me to remember it) was sent to Eva's house for his annual visit. I was always happy to see him. He was kind to me during my stay with my parents, coming over on my birthday and giving me a present and food that lasted a week since he knew of my parents' negligence but could do no more than that. I introduced him to Eva as best I could with my limited vocabulary. He was very impressed and thanked Eva for teaching me. I think she took a liking to him since he was a nice guy._

_When I could talk a little better, I showed and explained to her about my plan to make a friend with the bits of fabric I had collected. She laughed and said, "With that? You won't even make a patch with that. Tell you what, we can use that as thread and we can make the rest of it out of my family's materials. What do you think?" I agreed and we got to work. We made a rabbit. It looked a bit off, but I loved it. I called it Little Eva. Evangeline called it L.E., which sounded like Elly, so that's what it ended up being named instead._

_Two years into my stay, the servants had finally grown accustomed to my presence. I was too well-behaved to hate. I shared a room with Evangeline and was sort of like a pet to her. Out of my own will, of course. I remember having a nightmare once and had to curl up by Eva to find comfort again. I rested my head on her lap as she pet my head, commenting about how cowardly I was. "Jeez, I swear, you're afraid of your own shadow sometimes. You think a thing like a dream is so real it scares you. Hmph, what a chicken you are, Puppy." Even these words which sounded hurtful made me happy. I appreciated the continued use of my nickname. Her way of saying things was so different. And I loved her for it._

_Eventually she started calling me Claire more often. This was pleasing since that was my real name. The "Sin" part was due to having parents who thought of me as such. I thought of the proper use of my name as a term of affection, which I previously only received via my uncle._

_Four years were spent in this haven. Evangeline and I had become inseparable. We were like sisters. They were the best years of my life. I had gained the ability to speak, which made me happy to no end. I was healthy now that I had a constant supply of good food. It always confused Eva how I could act like every meal was the best I've ever had. It was because they were._

_The fifth year was when everything fell apart. I had to return to my parents. Now that I was stronger and healthier, they took this as reason enough to have me cater to their every whim again. I was taken from my only friend to once again be thrown into slavery. Being nine years old now with my birthday fast approaching, I saw that as motivation to live through this._

_Big news arrived for me. My mother was pregnant. Recently, I had been wishing for a companion. A brother, to be precise. Having a brother would've been an experience. I was so excited. My mother didn't want it though. She didn't want another 'sin' around tainting their honor. She aborted it. So she says. She murdered my younger sibling in my eyes. I grew spiteful of her more than ever after that._

_Uncle Jay came by as usual. He had been informed that I was sent back home and went straight there. My only wish was to see Evangeline again. The goddess of misfortune had other ideas. When we got there, the place wasn't the same. It was on the outside, but the place just radiated negativity. "Eva!" I screamed, crashing through the fence and the door. I almost puked from the smell inside. Upon further investigation between me and Jay, we found the source: decaying flesh from the servants' dead bodies. How long they had been there, we didn't know. The only thought in my head was to find my friend. She was nowhere to be found. I fell to the floor in her room, sobbing. My only friend was gone._

_Being stuck with my abusive parents was hell. I openly defied them, resulting in more brutal beatings on my part. I could take more hits since I was a bit stronger, but all the physical strength in the world would do nothing to help my mental tolerance. I grew more hateful of my parents. I knew now that what they were doing wasn't acceptable. I could feel my mind getting closer to snapping._

_When I was twelve, I finally had enough of the abuse. Enough of the insults. Enough of the figurative shackles that prevented me from leaving this house. My mind allowed itself to snap. In a rage, I killed my father with a broken wine bottle and my mother by breaking her neck. As realization dawned on me, I went into a panic. I grabbed my few belongings and caught fire to the house. But where was I to go? Evangeline had left me. I sat by the burning building, shaking from my body going into shock, hugging my knees and rocking back and forth, crying. "Eva..."_

_I lost track of time for how long I spent in that spot. 'A week? Oh yeah. It was my birthday. Uncle Jay should be coming today.' As if on cue, my uncle was by me, shaking my shoulder urgently. "Claire! Claire! Are you alright? Talk to me, please." I looked up. I must have muttered something about having killed my parents because his eyes widened. He didn't show anymore shock than that. He knew this had to happen someday. He helped me to my feet and picked up my things. "Come on, Claire. Let's go home."_

_I lived with Uncle Jay for a while. It was great. My momentary trauma passed. He trained me in various activities, teaching me everything he could. He thought of me as a daughter and I in turn thought of him as my father. A kind father, which is more than I can say for his older brother who was my biological father. He was never a father to me. I loved my uncle enough to give him the title that I had not bestowed upon his brother. Father._

_Uncle Jay had an accident which robbed him of the use of his legs. I built him a makeshift wheelchair. He could no longer train me in fighting skills which he had learned throughout the years. I took care of him, helping with chores around the house and running his errands for him. I did this happily since it was my own will. I was saddened whenever I looked at Elly, the stuffed rabbit that Eva and I made together._

_I was fifteen when he died. I had no one else. My mind went back to thoughts of my friend. I missed her very much. I went to the back of his house to bury him. I spent all day making it suitable for his corpse. He deserved a good burial. When I finished making it nice, I looked up at the hill that was visible from his home. My mouth opened slightly when I saw a figure. Petite, blonde-haired, and wearing some kind of cloak. I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming. But when I looked back up, the figure was gone. Could it have been...?_

_While walking around town with what was left of my uncle's inheritance to keep myself alive, I noticed scrolls everywhere. They said, 'Beware of The Vampire'. Odd it seemed to me that these people would worry about something like that. I looked closer out of curiosity. My eyes grew wide in surprise. From the vague description and crappy sketch, I was almost certain it was Eva. I could feel some heaviness leave my heart. She wasn't dead. But what was this vampire business? I researched it for days until I was sure the books and scrolls could tell me no more._

* * *

_I ended up travelling into a forest, looking for shelter for the night. I was sixteen now and had grown used to sleeping outside again. The sound of a snapping twig startled me. Immediately after, something attacked me. I fended it off in minor fear, stabbing it with my small knife. It yelped and backed off, giving me time to get back on my feet. I was roughly pinned against a tree, the breath knocked out of me. The creature, which had three more with it, snarled in my face. It seemed to smile at me, revealing sharp teeth._

"_Well well, what've we here? You're very brave to hold off a werewolf, young one."_

_Werewolf? I had read that they were the main enemy of vampires. This encounter wasn't as daunting as it should've been. I answered the creature._

"_Yeah, and I'll punch you in the nose if you don't let me loose."_

_This seemed to amuse them. Their bodies became more visible as they stepped out of the shadows. They looked a lot like huge, muscular wolves. They could stand upright like a human and could probably see right through my bravado. Nonetheless, they released their hold, instead choosing to surround me. One, obviously the leader, went ahead of the others._

"_You must be very brave or very stupid, girl."_

"_Why not a little of both?" I retorted._

"_Hahahaha! This child is funny, Chief," one of the other wolves said as he reverted to his human form. It would have been a mind-blowing transformation to witness._

"_I think it'd be foolish to mess with her anymore. She sounded serious," another voice jokingly said, this time belonging to a female. She was also in her human form now._

"_Leave her be, Chief. She obviously poses no threat to us," a more serious male said._

_The leader was the only one still in his werewolf body. He smirked._

"_Very well. Majority vote."_

_He reverted. His human body was still really muscular. He was a head taller than me, as I found out as he approached. A hand was held out in greeting._

"_Forgive my rudeness, miss. That's no way to act in front of a lady."_

"_Don't worry about it. But I won't shake your hand. I don't know how werewolves are."_

"_Oh, is that so?" he said, putting his hand down. "Okay. Then let me introduce myself. I am known as Canis. Chief Canis to lower wolves. No last name given. This is my pack. Lucus Gray, Lycaon Timber, and Rufus Red. Simple names, yes?"_

"_Sinclaire Youngblood. Nice to meet you. Canis, sir, you look like a powerful man."_

_Canis laughed. "Of course I am. But really, child, you're going to have to do better than that. Flattery falls dead upon my aged ears."_

"_You don't look that old."_

"_On the contrary, we're all pretty old," Lucus said in a playful tone. "Werewolves are eternal beings."_

"_Huh?" An idea popped into my head. Vampires are ever-living. Evangeline is a vampire. Werewolves are also ever-living. That means if I was turned into a werewolf, I could be ever-living too and find my long lost friend. I looked to Lucus. "Mister Gray, what's it like being a werewolf? The good, the bad. I want to hear it all."_

_He chuckled. "Are you serious? I mean, I could tell you, but what'll you do with the info?"_

"_I want to be a werewolf."_

_I received looks from the pack. "Why?" Lycaon asked in horror. "Trust me, it isn't as easy as it seems."_

"_That's why I want to hear everything I can about you guys. I'll make a decision when I know."_

_So they told me. Werewolves were actually very good creatures to carry on a chat with. They answered my questions immediately and with plenty of details. It seemed to me they didn't want someone to willingly be a werewolf. They tried to subtley talk me out of it. To no avail._

"_Make me a werewolf. It seems like something I can handle."_

_Rufus shook his head. "I don't think so. You don't know first hand. It'll be the worst thing to happen to you."_

"_Try me, Red. I've been through hell and back. I think I can handle living forever."_

"_Give it up, Rufus. The kid's not going back on this one," Lucus sighed._

"_Your wish is granted," Canis said. "Lycaon, would you do it for her? I feel that you should, being the only female in our pack."_

"_Yes, Chief Canis. You sure about this, Youngblood? After this, your blood won't be so young anymore."_

"_Yep. I'm certain. I'm sticking by my choice."_

_She snarled as she changed into her fearsome werewolf form. "This'll sting a little. Get ready!"_

_Her teeth sunk into my shoulder, ripping into it. I've never felt so much pain. It was like getting stabbed by several knives and having someone pour alcohol and salt into it repeatedly._

"_Aaaahhhhh!"_

_My consciousness was fading. My vision was blurred and my head was spinning. It wasn't long before I fainted._

* * *

"_Lycaon, would you leave her alone already? Her wound isn't bothering her anymore. It's not even there."_

"_I can't help it. She's younger than me, so my maternal instincts kicked in."_

"_You don't even know her that well. We just met her last night."_

"_Who cares? She's one of us now. Werewolves look out for their own. Right, Chief Canis?"_

"_Yes, that is correct. Oh, looks like our young friend has come to."_

_I could feel this weird energy flow everytime my heart pulsed. I was tired. Exhausted tired, not sleepy tired. It was now morning and we were still in the forest. I looked around at my odd company, who didn't look so odd when they weren't in their werewolf forms. Their features were clearer to see in daylight. Lycaon, the only other female besides me, was sitting beside me. Based on what the guys were saying, she had been there since I had passed out to watch over me. She looked no older than her mid-twenties. She had a pretty face, with shoulder length light brown hair and dark green eyes. Her body was slim, but it was obvious she could break my neck easily if she wanted to. Lycaon's clothing was simple: a plain tan work shirt, brown slacks, and a tattered cloak that was too big for her._

"_You're right! She's alive."_

"_Are you feeling alright, child? Your transformation seemed to go fine. You have the ability of quick regeneration, I see," I heard Rufus say. I looked in the direction his voice came from. Rufus Red wasn't too bad-looking. He was older than me appearance-wise. Maybe twenty. His arms had some muscle tone that didn't look threatening but went with his toned torso that remained uncovered save for a red scarf that hung down from around his neck. He ran his hand through his scruffy, short, sand-colored hair as he got up to wake me up properly. Rufus pat my cheek with a light smack. "There we go. Lupus, is it ready yet?"_

_Lucus' voice responded sarcastically. "Yeah yeah. Don't call me Lupus." He stood up and walked over, putting some ground up material into a small bag and crushing it more with his hand. Lucus was a big guy. If I had to describe his appearance, I would say he had the body type of a bear. He was tall and had a lot of muscle, making Rufus look somewhat puny in comparison. Lucus looked the oldest out of the pack, stuck as an almost-forty year old. His chin had some stubble, which he scratched on occasion. His dark brown hair looked almost black, with pale blue eyes that shone with 'male immaturity'._

_He smiled down at me. "If her sense of smell is how it should be now, this should bolt her right up." Lucus knelt and put the bag to my nose. Immediately my nose seemed to burn. The smell was so pungent! My eyes watered as I sat up quickly, escaping the horrid odor of whatever was in the bag. I clamped a hand over my aching nose._

"_Ugh! What the hell was that?" I asked accusingly._

_Canis smiled. He sat close to Lycaon. He was smaller than Lucus but equal in body structure. He was probably the leader for his alpha wolf manner. His eyes were bright gold – much to my surprise – and contrasted with his long black hair that he kept tied in a guy ponytail. _

"_You're a werewolf. Your senses have all increased considerably. Your sense of smell, as you can tell, for one. Your hearing, taste, sight. Touch doesn't really increase too much to be notable. As for what assaulted your nostrils just now, that's a special mix of plants that wakes a werewolf without fail. A smelling salt of sorts. Trust me, you won't get used to it." He laughed loudly. And thus began my life as a werewolf._

_Though the years dragged on, life with the pack seems so distant and short now._

_During my first few years of being a mythical creature, I was still getting used to my body changes. I now had four sharp canine teeth in the four corners of my mouth. I spent several years examining them with my tongue, running over their tips and difference from the rest of my teeth. The longer ones were located on the top, resembling fangs. The smaller two were less noticeable and were at the bottom row. I frequently bit my lip by accident. I became more acquainted with my new 'family', Lycaon acting as a mother figure to me since I was the youngest. Lucus was too much like a brother to me to think of him as a father figure. He was like a big kid. Heh, men. Rufus stayed mostly reserved, as he had always been. He'd come out of his shell once I myself got enough courage to start conversations with him. As I said before, werewolves were very social creatures deep down and quite pleasant to chat with. Canis didn't seem like the talkative type anymore. I had once asked about it, but the pack all said that's just how he is._

_I found myself still wishing for a friend. I was in a werewolf pack, but I still wanted Eva back in my life. Or at least the brother I wanted but never knew. During one of our stays at some inn, I found a stuffed wolf in the room we were staying in. It seemed to call to me. I asked Canis if I could keep it. I fondly named it Oriphiel._

_It took about ten years for me to get the hang of my new body. Super human strength had its perquisites. When we had to sleep outside in many winters, we'd have to dig our own temporary dens underneath trees or some other large object. Sometimes we even had to settle with curling up and sleeping in the snow without cover. We'd do this in our beastly forms to provide warmth since werewolves have a usually constant body temperature. However, sleep itself was rare since werewolves are cursed with insomnia. But when sleep was required, none of us hesitated to find shelter or a place to stay._

_Over time, I found myself to be more irritable and with a constant supply of running adrenaline, unable to sit still for very long. Another side effect. When we slept, we were often plagued by nightmares beyond understanding, ranging from horrific gore to past events we'd much rather forget. None of us were spared from them._

_Keep in mind that werewolves are ageless and very powerful, not invincible. I soon discovered this when wolf hunts became big. Canis explained the many weaknesses we had as one of our kind: silver, head wounds (though we have hard skulls), and a poisonous plant called wolfsbane. Being damaged with a silver weapon would cause major damage if it misses a vital point and take far longer to heal than other wounds. While attempting to escape a mob in our wolf forms, Rufus was shot three times with silver bullets, bringing him down. He tried to limp after us. I went to help him but was stopped by Canis. "Leave him! He's no good to us dead. Keep running if you want to live, whelp." I looked behind me as I ran, witnessing the brutal death of Rufus Red as the humans caught him. It was the then that I knew two things; one, I was not as unstoppable as I had believed for many years. And two, that my alpha Canis did not care about losing a family member. I began to silently doubt his position._

_Years passed. Lycaon, Lucus and I were severely mistreated. Our leader had been letting his own audacity go over the edge, allowing his ego to grow. It made me remember the time spent with my parents. We were used to play his slaughter game. For what? A couple of laughs and amusement. It was sickening. I could feel my wolfish instincts tell me he wasn't fit to lead anymore._

_This year ended yet another major chunk of my life. I stood firmly in front of Canis, who was relaxing by himself near a river in the forest we were in. I made a fighting stance, the one werewolves used when challenging their alphas. "Canis, your reign shall end today. I'll fight and defeat you." He merely chuckled, but stood up and crossed his arms._

"_Silly whelp, you don't want to fight me. I have more years under my belt than you do." I didn't wait for him to talk more. I burst into wolf form and lunged at him, bulling him right over the river. He flipped and landed squarely on his feet, looking perfectly fine. He laughed again. "Is that it? You're not serious about this. You know I could easily kill you!" he shouted the last two words as he also changed and leapt to my side of the river, narrowly missing a blow to my head. We circled each other, fangs bared and growls rumbling in our chests. Lycaon and Lucus watched from a distance, not too thrilled at my actions._

_With a snarl, Canis made his move first, swinging a heavy arm at me. I caught it, sending an uppercut to his chin. He whined as his tongue was crushed with his teeth. He quickly retaliated, kicking me in the stomach with a large footpaw. Winded, I doubled over trying regain my breath. A second swing with his arm was sent crashing into my wolf snout. I flew for a second before hitting the ground. I coughed up something that had hit my throat. The tip of one of my canines. Renewed fury caused me to attack again, this time my target was his throat. Seeing this, he angled himself at the last second, causing my teeth to sink into his shoulder. He hissed in pain before doing the same, locking his jaws in a similar manner into my shoulder. Both of us seeking bone with fang, we exchanged punches, kicks and slashes with claws while locked. Then I had an idea. I pushed my weight in a diagonal direction, knocking him off balance. We tumbled awkwardly, fangs ripping each other's shoulders. It became an endurance test to see who could take more pain as we wrestled on the floor. Canis grew sick of the taste of my blood in his mouth, finally releasing his hold. Without wasting this chance, I let my jaw release him to grab him by his neck. With all of my strength, I swung him away into the river. Foolish move, I soon found out, since when he came after me right away, he was heavier due to his soaked fur. He pressed both front paws into my neck, suffocating me. "Hehe, what happened, Youngblood? Where's that bravado you showed not so long ago, huh? Where is it!"_

_Lycaon shouted at him. "Chief, stop! You'll kill her!"_

"_Serves her right! She should know that she follows orders without question. Or have you forgotten your place? She'll die right here."_

_Oxygen was no longer reaching my lungs. Another weakness. We could still die from breath deprivation. I felt my strength beginning to weaken. Suddenly a large form tackled Canis away, the sounds of angry snarling and strikes reverberating. Lucus had charged at Canis, noting this duel as no longer a challenge, but a fight to the death which was forbidden between a single pack. Lycaon grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and pulled me away. My chest heaved, but I still felt unsatiated need to fight him. I yelled as I was carried away. "You will never be my alpha, Canis! All I see you as is a pathetic, murderous coward who gets his kicks from killing women and children. You will die for it. Maybe not by my hand, but be assured that the devil will take you back home. Do you hear me! Canis!"_

* * *

_I ran from the pack later that day. I gathered my belongings yet again and bid farewell to Lycaon after she patched up my wounds. Injuries delivered by other werewolves also took a while to heal. I asked her to give my goodbyes to Lucus if he came back alive. She promised. Lycaon hugged me tightly before seeing me off. She was sad to see me go. I had no choice. The animosity and tension would be too great if I stayed with the pack. I was on my own._

_All I had with me were my stuffed animals Elly the rabbit and Oriphiel the wolf. How ironic that I'd find a wolf. As I walked on, I heard voices in my head. Believing myself to just be having delusions, I shrugged it off. But the voice just kept coming, getting clearer. Soon I could hear sentences._

_'Hello? Hey! Are you listening, damn you! Oi!'_

"_What!" I finally answered, hoping it would stop._

_'Oh. My bad. I thought you couldn't hear me. I've been trying to contact you for decades. No joke. Maybe being around those other wolves was preventing me from reaching you.'_

"_Uhh," I said warily. "Who are you?"_

_The voice scoffed. 'Tch. Well, I never. Haha, just kidding. I'm that stuffed wolf you picked up. I knew you would eventually be at that inn, so I waited and called you when you got there.'_

"_Cuz that's not weird at all."_

_The voice laughed. 'You and your humor. Believe it or not, I'm someone you should know. We're related.'_

"_Bull."_

_'No really. Why don't you believe me, big sister?'_

_I froze. I held up the stuffed wolf. "Sister? You're my...?"_

_'Younger brother that was killed before he was born. My spirit has been floatin' around awhile. I was finally sent to see you when the god people heard you wish for a friend. So here I am. Your brother. The wolf thing was planned. You have the archangel Samael to thank.'_

_I smiled. "Brother or not, that's a relief. I didn't want to travel alone."_

_'Unfortunately, big sis, only you can hear me. If you had magic ability, you could use it to allow me to walk around by myself. Too bad werewolves only focus on physical strength. Oh hey, how are your injuries doing? He tore you up pretty badly.'_

_I rubbed my shoulder. "It's healing, I can feel it, but it stings a bit. I'm really sore, too."_

_'I woulda helped you out, but you know.'_

"_By the way, what's your name?"_

_'Oriphiel, right? At least, that's what you named me. I find it fitting that my older sister should name me.'_

"_Hahaha, yeah? Then I'll call you Oriphy for short. It sounds like a cute little brother name, doesn't it?"_

_Oriphiel scoffed again. 'Whatever you say, Claire.'_

_After that, I was never alone. I had my brother Oriphiel Youngblood as a constant travel companion – but fortune once again foiled my life. He discovered how depressed I got when I'd remember the past. He wanted to help, but the only to make me forget was...to erase my memory. He consulted the archangel Samael to assist him in curing me of these bad memories. Samael cleared my mind of all things that he could without altering me too much: my parents' abuse, my poor lifestyle as a child, the murder of my parents, my uncle and his death, my memories of my pack life. This came with a price from my brother, however. I had to forget about my brief knowledge of Oriphy being my brother's spirit inhabiting the stuffed wolf I carried with me. Instead he was a guide of some sort to me. He couldn't tell me about our relation. But the one thing he could not erase was my affection for my dearest friend. Evangeline had left too big of an imprint on my life to be covered up. If not for her, I'd be rotting in my grave from starvation or horrible treatment from my parents. He could, at most, obsure the years I lived with her, but the years after that were clear as day save for the already sealed memories. My bitter hatred for our folks remained, but was more of a hatred towards mistreatment of children. This was a berserk button for me._

_So basically, I was only left with the knowledge that I was a werewolf who was seeking a vampire who was a friend of mine in the past and wanted her as my alpha and master. But that was when my nightmares started coming more frequently. My sealed memories tried to make themselves known to me by showing me unclear dreams. I hated that the most._

_I spent centuries living this way. How long? Your guess is as good as mine. I made it a point to get employed wherever I could, living with childless elderly couples who would accept me as their temporary daughter. They kept my secret if they happened to find out about my wolf blood. I lived with them until they died and gave all of them a proper burial. I learned many new skills and made money to live by myself if need be. My wolf appetite was my biggest downfall. On top of having a huge appetite, I loved raw and rare meat. Without it, I would lose my mind and kill and eat humans to satiate the hunger, so a large supply of livestock was necessary._

_Into the more recent years, I was shopping for a few things to eat and a new change of clothes. I stumbled upon a section with stuffed animals. Interested, I took a peek at some. A dragon caught my eye. It was a bit different seeing a dragon mixed in a pile of teddy bears and rabbits. So I bought it and called it Samael in honor of the archangel. Thirteen years after that was the time my ridiculously long trip reached fruition._

* * *

_Rumors about 'The Dark Evangel' were spreading like wildfire during my travels. I smiled inwardly since I knew who they were talking about. I had heard one that was rather interesting while eavesdropping on some locals. I was sitting clear across the room from them but my hearing was superb. Apparently, there was a vampire residing nearby. And attending a school called Mahora. Oriphy could easily see the pleased look in my eyes from where I set him down on the table. I couldn't tell he was even looking at me since he couldn't move at all, as he was still a stuffed wolf._

_I spent the day finding and following her scent. I went to the school long after class let out and fished around for class rosters. Found it. The name and face that had always been in my memory for countless years...Evangeline A.K. McDowell. Exactly the same name she had back then. Unable to hide my utter glee, my wolf ears and tail popped out, tail wagging wildly. This happened when I was overly excited. I squealed happily as I made my way to the class to find the seat she sat in. I know it would've been easier to find her records to find out where she lived, but really, where's the fun in that?_

_Trying my hardest not to break anything in my barely suppressed joy, I went to work. I sniffed the class, enjoying the variety of scents. One caught my nose more than the others: Evangeline's seat. I made sure the scent registered itself into the receptors before I was satisfied._

"_Oriphy. We found her. I got her scent!" I said to my companion._

_'Then what're we waiting for? For her to disappear again? Let's go!' he rushed._

_Clutching him tightly, I chose to use the window as an exit instead, leaving the class roster behind in the class. I subconsciously toyed with the small rabbit Elly that was attached to my belt before I located the scent on the ground, looking for all the world like a dog looking for something._

* * *

_What I would have guessed to be halfway through the trip, I couldn't help but voice my newly felt doubts._

"_What if she doesn't remember me?" I said rather shakily, scratching my neck in my anxiety. "Oriphy, I don't know if I could handle that."_

_'Come on. We've come too far. You haven't seen her for more years than you can shake a stick at. Just go. If she doesn't remember, we'll make her remember. Uh, at least, you will.'_

"_Thanks for the help," I said jokingly, continuing on while ignoring my growling stomach. I hadn't eaten for a while, too concerned with finding Eva first._

_Before I knew it, I was literally dragging myself on the floor, nose never stopping its persistent sniffing as it caught the scent getting stronger, which meant we were getting closer. It took everything I had to put one arm forward. Oriphiel scolded me._

_'Dang it, Sinclaire! I told you to eat something when we went to that club the other day! I know you were excited, but you know you need to eat! All hell will break loose if you get too hungry. You're just barely able to keep it under control. You don't want to go on a murdering spree again, do you!"_

_I growled weakly. "I thought I said...to never remind me of that. I wish it...never happened. But that was years ago. Stop...bringing it up." I knew that if I didn't eat, my wolf side would take over and kill humans to obtain the meal; with my vast appetite, that would mean a lot of people. I was now grunting with the exertion. My muscles trembled visibly from being overworked and lack of nutrients for support. My stomach growled once more before I couldn't move anymore. I had to resort to nibbling on the grass that was in reach of my mouth. My vision was failing but I knew I wouldn't pass out completely. Just my human side would shut down temporarily to allow free reign to my inner werewolf to happily provide a feast for its starving body._

_I could hear Oriphy's sort of distant shouting. 'Don't you fade out on me, ya hear! Don't do it! You promised you wouldn't anymore. You said you didn't want to be a killer. If you were serious, then _do not _lose consciousness. Huh? Oh! Stay awake, Sinclaire. Someone's coming.'_

_I knew that already. My hearing was above average. I had heard the footsteps coming a while ago, I was just too tired to say anything. I glanced up as the person knelt down to examine me. I sniffed the air to identify. Did I smell...machinery? As I thought this, a calm – if a little monotonous – voice rang in my ear._

"_Small energy waves, growing weaker. Inability to stand at the moment. Energy levels dropping steadily, nutrient amount low." Was she reading my health by merely looking at me? Cool. My stomach rumbled madly. My body would lose control soon._

"_F-f-fooooood," I groaned. I could feel myself being lifted up and slung over her shoulder. Was I really that light?_

"_Understood. I will bring you to my mistress' cabin and see what I can do."_

_I couldn't say thanks. I used all my speaking energy with my request. I felt a little better now that I was being helped._

_By mistress, I was almost 100% sure she meant Evangeline. Her scent filled my nose as we entered the designated cabin. My rescuer sat me down on a comfortable couch and went to what I guessed to be the direction of the kitchen. I rested my head as I leaned back. This was better than laying down outside any day. I was momentarily distracted by the mouth-watering scent of some type of meat. And some type of fish. My stomach roared its need at me again, telling me to eat already._

_She returned with the meal, having to give me the first few bites herself by cutting bits off and putting them to my mouth. I soon had more than enough strength to finish off the food myself, chugging down a whole gallon of milk with it. With a belch, I pat my belly, the wolf side easing up. I bowed gratefully at the green-haired girl who had rescued and fed me._

"_Thank you very much. I wasn't sure how much longer I would've lasted. I can't thank you enough...uh..."_

"_Chachamaru is my name."_

"_That's...a surprisingly cute name, in my standards. Well Chachamaru-san, I am very grateful for the meal."_

_She shook her head. "Anyone would have done the same thing. No need to thank me. But may I ask why you were starving? You seem like someone who could take care of herself."_

"_Hehe, it's almost embarrassing when you put it that way. I would have eaten, but you see, I was overly excited about something and didn't feel like eating at the time. I realized how stupid of me that was."_

_Chachamaru tilted her head slightly. "What were you so excited about that you'd forget to eat?"_

_I scratched my head. "Um, well. I have a question for you. You know how you mentioned your mistress earlier? I was wondering if her name was Evangeline."_

"_Yes it is. Do you know her?"_

_My body shook in eagerness. "Really! Is she blonde? A vampire? Notorious? Kinda on the short side? Cute but has a mean streak?" My questions flowed quickly. Chachamaru merely looked at me._

"_You seem to know her well. She is resting in her room upstairs."_

_I held back the biggest squeal I've ever felt. I held up a hand. "Excuse me a minute," I said before rushing outside and howling in joy. You ever been so happy you had to sit down for a second after you spazzed out?_

_I walked back to the cabin when I saw someone in the doorway. Smaller than Chachamaru. And blonde. A pleasant sight._

"_Eva! It's you!" I screamed. Our reunion wasn't a sappy one. She stopped my hug by holding me back with one hand, her expression skeptical._

"_And you are?" Ouch. That question you never want to hear in a serious meeting. I backed up, getting down on all fours in a low bow._

"_Oh. Y-you don't remember me, Eva?"_

"_I don't remember anyone who addresses me in such a familiar way."_

_I couldn't help but smile inwardly. She still had the same lovable attitude. Still, that didn't stop my eyes beginning to water._

"_It's me, Sinclaire. Sinclaire Youngblood. I knew you a long time ago." Why did I feel so...timid in front of her?_

_She raised an eyebrow in thought. I could hear her mutter, "Sinclaire...Sinclaire...why does that name...?" She looked at my face more carefully. "It doesn't really ring a bell."_

_Then her eyes widened as something registered in her brain. Did she remember now?_

"_Ah, I remember! Puppy! You're that little nuisance that I knew. Aren't you supposed to be dead?"_

_I was too elated to be stung by that small insult. And why did that nickname sound so familiar? Oh well. I grinned._

"_You do remember! Well you see, I went around looking for you. I turned into a werewolf to have eternal life just to find you. You don't know how happy I am to see you."_

_Eva frowned at me, stomping her foot down between my shoulder blades. It didn't hurt._

"_Idiot. Why would you willingly choose to live forever? Do you think I wanted to live forever?"_

_I muttered quietly, "I did it to find you, Eva. I thought you'd be lonely. You know, living longer than everyone else, watching them die while you're left alone. Meeting new people only to realize that they're going to die eventually as you're left behind. I've been there, Eva. Even if you deny it, I'll know it bothers you. That's why I came here. We were friends a long time ago, though I don't remember much from back then. I want to stay with you."_

_Minutes passed before her foot was lifted from my back. "Raise your head."_

_I did as she said. Her expression was plain. Not a smile, not a frown. She raised an eyebrow at me. "You said you're a werewolf?"_

"_Uh, yes," I stammered. "I'm aware of the tension between vampires and werewolves from being natural enemies, but I don't care. I just want to be friends with you again. Please don't say no." I hated to sound desperate, but I was._

"_Mistress," I heard Chachamaru say._

_Evangeline smirked. It didn't look very pleasant._

"_So you wish to stay with me, mutt?"_

"_Very much so. It's been hundreds of years and I still haven't changed my mind!"_

"_Then," she began, pointing at me, "be my personal slave. You will work for me for as long as I want you to. I'll work you like the dog you are now. I trust you have no objections if what you say is true?"_

_I perked up. "Is that all? I was gonna do that anyway! I'm at your command, Master!" I was only too happy to accept her terms. She seemed a bit taken aback at how easily I agreed. Eva cleared her throat meaningfully._

"_Very well. First of all, I need to have a talk with you. We knew each other back in the day, right? Then we have some catching up to do. After that, I have a ton of chores with your name on it. Come on, Chachamaru. You gotta show the newbie the ropes on proper house cleaning when we're done."_

"_But Master Eva, I already know how to clean houses."_

_She wagged a finger at me. "Not mine. If you're going to clean it, you're gonna do it right, dammit. Now come on. Tell me what you've been up to, werewolf."_

* * *

_How little I really knew about my life was shocking. Question after question had to be skipped since I didn't know the answer. What happened to my parents? I dunno. When did I become a werewolf? I dunno. Why did I talk to my stuffed animals? Well, I knew the answer to that one, she just didn't believe me. I was enrolled in the same class as her and Chachamaru at Mahora to stay close. I couldn't have been more pleased, especially after meeting and befriending Kazumi Asakura and Haruna Saotome._

_For a while, she made me sleep on the couch in the living room, as she believed she had no reason to give a stray dog a bed. It was comfortable enough, but because I had insomnia I would spend hours just staring at the ceiling, rejoicing in my head that I had finally found my dear companion from all those years ago. And even the times I managed to sleep, I'd fall on the floor from my constant thrashing caused by my nightmares. I was given a room eventually, complete with a large bed._

_I recall one night when I had done something to make Eva mad and wasn't given food for several hours. Big mistake on her part. It was partly my fault for not telling her. My wolf side was called upon for its assistance in providing a meal for me. The unwanted muscle spasms shot throughout my body, growing furry and tough. At two in the morning, the transformation was complete and hungry, making its way out of the cabin and on the lookout for prey. Fortunately Evangeline, being the powerful vampire she is, fought and captured me before I could do anything. Being as big as a bear on steroids with focus being on physical strength and defenses, this was a pretty remarkable feat. Not many people or mages take on mindless werewolves and live._

_When I reverted back to normal after a hefty meal, Evangeline gave me something. A music box. She said it was an old antique she had in her inventory of magic items. Its purpose was to calm down beasts with its tune. It proved to be a useful item, thus allowing Eva to continue her punishment of no food for a while, as long as it didn't exceed the limit of how long I could go without being in too much trouble. I count this as the cruelest thing she does to me, but it kept me in order._

_That said, she also liked to take out her frustration out on me. Whenever she was held after school to have a talk with the teacher, she would come home annoyed and commence hitting me repeatedly and pulling my wolf tail and ears (since, as any loyal dog to her master, I was happy when Eva came home, causing my tail and ears to pop out). Besides, I had enough endurance to handle whatever she dished out when she wasn't trying to kill me. Good thing I'm a werewolf._

_After a couple of weeks, she gave me another item. A black leather collar that looked like something a big dog would wear. "Master, what's this?" She took it out of my hand and tapped my nose with it. "It's a magic collar. It binds one person to another. This collar will mark you as mine, along with allowing me to contact you when you aren't here. I can also deliver painful shocks to you with this if you ever become disobedient. Only the master can completely remove it, but you are allowed to loosen it. Now get over here so I can put it on you." I could feel the thing tighten around my neck as she tugged it too hard, most likely on purpose. I felt it loosen slightly, leaving enough breathing space. A wave of magic went over me, sending a shiver up my spine. Eva smiled in satisfaction. "There. See? Now you're my pet. And good pets obey their masters, right Sinc?" New nickname for me. I liked this one. I nodded. "Absolutely."_

_Often, I was left alone for a while when she went to her resort to train or whatever. I used this break time to go shopping or to do freelance or mercenary work. It's how I paid for my expenses. When I came back at the designated time, I had to do my chores of the day. Washing dishes, doing laundry, dusting, that sort of stuff. Sometimes I'd go out during the night to find wandering humans to get blood for Eva. It wasn't as good as it would be entirely fresh, but she had to make use of it. I was scolded whenever they'd mention something about my 'attacks' on the news._

_In two months' time, I had grown attached to my new life. I adored Chachamaru. She always looked out for me by sneaking food to me when I was in trouble with Master and trying to defend me. She was like an older sister. I also loved spending time with my friends at Mahora. Kazu-chan and Haru-chan were great people. And of course Eva made good use of me a her personal servant. I gave her massages often and allowed her to use me as a pack mule. I had no complaints whatsoever._

_As of today, I have never been happier. I have now regained my memories. I have made many new friends, ones I gladly accept into my pack. And once someone's in a werewolf's pack, they are guaranteed to be protected and supported by the accepting werewolf. Sadly, I had the misfortune of knowing a werewolf alpha who did not meet these standards. But that's all in the past. Now, I'm satisfied with my life. I will continue to serve Evangeline, as is the way of the werewolf when they choose an alpha. If I should ever find her unworthy of the position (which I highly doubt will happen), I will have to find a new alpha since I myself am no leader._

_And that, my friends, is the story of how I came to be here._

* * *

Sinclaire got on her feet, stretching until her back made an audible cracking sound. She rubbed her bum carefully, the long sitting making it fall asleep.

"Long story. I hate history, personally, but what did you all think?"

About half of the audience was sniffling. Kazumi clasped Sinclaire's hands tightly, tears running down her face.

"That story was so tragic and touching. How devoted you are to Eva-chan...it's just so...I don't even know how to describe it! It's a bit different from Setsuna and Konoka's relationship. You wouldn't mind if I wrote down some of this in my files, would you? Not to be public, of course."

"Go ahead, Kazu-chan. I trust you not to do anything with it."

"I was wondering what those weird vibes were," Setsuna said. "It's because you're a werewolf. How strange that we had one wandering around the school for months and didn't know until now."

"What I find strange is that none of you bothered to investigate the night attacks that flooded the news. If what Eva told me is to be believed, than your class should have been on it like red on a rash."

Yue piped up. "Speaking of red, what about that Rufus guy you mentioned? Were you close to him?"

The werewolf shrugged. "Not really. We were sorta buddies, but we didn't talk as much."

Asuna frowned. "That Canis guy sounds like a real jerk. I'd love to smack him around if I ever saw him."

"I doubt you could. He's probably long-dead. Lucus took him down for sure."

Evangeline looked her over and saw the little rabbit stuffed animal that decorated Sinclaire's belt. "Is that the same Elly?"

The taller girl nodded. "Uh huh! Years of wear and tear required lots of repairing, so she looks different now. She was a constant reminder of my goal."

"I see. Well, mission accomplished." At this, the two grinned.

"I hope Oriphy doesn't get in too much trouble about telling me. If it wasn't for his outburst during that bath, I'd have never known. Let's hope Samael is merciful."

"From your story, it seems you know Samael personally," Nodoka said.

Sinclaire shrugged. "We met a few times. He took residence in my stuffed dragon and moved around like that. Kinda hard to take one seriously when they look so cute."

The group was soon chatting amongst itself. Chamo used this opportunity to speak with Sinclaire. She smiled in greeting, Chamo noticing that one of her fangs were gone, broken off perfectly enough to make it look like a regular tooth. Probably the one that her old leader broke during the fight in her story.

"So, uh, what did you eat on average again?" he asked, clearly shaking.

"Cattle, moose, a few mountain lions, bears, whatever I could hunt at the time. Sometimes a few rodents."

Chamo gulped. "Any...weasels or ermines, perhaps?"

She chuckled. "Well yeah. But don't worry, Chamo-kun. I won't even think about eating you. I've accepted you into my pack too."

"So being in your pack means we're safe?"

"That's the gist of it."

He heaved a relieved sigh. "Umm, I heard that today wasn't a good day to approach you. Reason?"

"Oh, that's cuz it's full moon tonight. But this resort keeps my wolf side calm, so there's nothing to worry about. Might be the richness in magic."

"Ahh," Chamo said, feeling more and more secure. His boldness returned. "Say, Sinclaire-neesan, what would say to making a Pactio with Aniki there?"

Sinclaire glanced at Negi for a second and flicked her teal eyes back to the ermine. "Why?"

"Er, well, cuz it'd be like officially joining our group. Yeah! That's it! You'd be joining our group. Besides, your strength would increase. And you'd get a cool card to go with it."

"A cool card, eh? Hehe, sounds good! I'll ask Eva later. I'm getting hungry now. You, on the other hand, get Negi-kun's okay. If he doesn't want to, I have no say in the matter. Oh, and Chamo?"

Chamo was just turning to leave. He looked back to meet her serious expression. "Y-y-yes?"

"Don't you lie to me about his answer. That would make me...unhappy. Clear?"

"Crystal."

Sinclaire watched him scamper off, terrified. She laughed quietly as she went to Eva's side. "I only wanted to tease him a little. Such a cowardly little ermine." The werewolf girl knew that another chat between herself and Evangeline would take place later. Most likely about their past, but that wouldn't be till later. For now, she'd enjoy just being in the resort for the rest of the twenty-four hours, getting to know her 'pack' better.

**END**

* * *

Repre: Holy crap, that took forever. All that typing and editing. I'm exhausted. So yeah, again I apologize for the very long wait. Over a month, correct? I haven't lost any ideas, it's just hard to put certain ones in the story without screwing it over into pure crack. And will Sinclaire make a Pactio with Negi? We'll see.

Sinclaire: Sorry about this chapter being almost purely me. I hate hogging the spotlight, but it had to be done to know about me. It won't happen again, we promise. Repre's pretty sick of me after writing this chapter.

Repre: By the way, I was listening to music while typing this up and Within Temptation came on. I swear, the song Hand of Sorrow describes Sinclaire's life perfectly. You should listen to it, or at least look at the lyrics. Holy. Cow. Seriously.

Sinclaire: Is that all, Repre?

Repre: If you have any questions about her that you don't think were answered, feel free to ask. Review button. Click it. You know you want to.

Sinclaire: Do it. Make an author happy.


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